Large-Scale BIOTRONIK SPIRIT-ICD Study Enrollment Complete
The SPIRIT-ICD study was initiated based on findings from the MADIT II trial, which showed that patients who received an appropriate therapy from an ICD (Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator) that was implanted for primary prevention had a significantly increased risk for all-cause mortality1. SPIRIT-ICD is a prospective, uncontrolled, multicenter trial to investigate whether this high-risk group might benefit from an intensified diagnostic follow-up and timely therapeutic intervention.
Study patients will be closely monitored for at least one year after enrollment via BIOTRONIK Home Monitoring®, a globally accessible, internet-based, automatic remote monitoring system that uniquely enables physicians to follow their patients’ clinical status and device status no matter where they are.
If an appropriate therapy (shock or antitachycardia pacing [ATP]) is delivered, the study protocol requires a hospital visit within 72 hours to undergo intensified diagnostics and, at the investigator’s discretion, to receive state-of-the-art therapeutic interventions. If an appropriate therapy is delivered during the patient’s observation period, monitoring is to be extended for an additional 12 months after the event.
“The main objective of this study,” summarized Professor Robert Hatala, principal investigator and Head of the Department of Cardiology at the National Cardiovascular Institute in Bratislava, Slovakia, “is to investigate whether early intervention can significantly reduce the hazard ratio for patients who receive an appropriate therapy compared to those who don’t. We hope that early intervention and intensified diagnostic follow-ups will reduce the hazard ratio and, ultimately, reduce the increased mortality risk in this high-risk group. Furthermore, this trial will yield important new data on the incidence of ICD therapies in a patient population treated for acute myocardial infarction and thereafter with state-of-the-art therapeutic interventions.”
Further parameters to be compared and analyzed between the groups are sudden cardiac death, nonsudden cardiac death, risk of first heart failure hospitalization, number of ventricular tachycardia (VT) storms and number of delivered ICD therapies. In addition, the large study sample of the SPIRIT-ICD study allows for conclusions to be drawn on the current standard of care as compared to the findings of the MADIT II trial. Final results of the SPIRIT-ICD study are expected in early 2015.
The MADIT II trial was the first study of its kind to examine survival benefits of ICD implantation in patients with a history of myocardial infarction and left ventricular dysfunction.
“BIOTRONIK is committed to supporting excellent research that will provide valuable clinical evidence for physicians. The SPIRIT-ICD study will enhance our body of knowledge of ICD therapy and provide valuable insights into how early intervention after an appropriate shock may be beneficial to the patient,” commented Christoph Böhmer, Managing Director, BIOTRONIK.
For more information: www.biotronik.com
Reference:
1 Moss et. al, NEJM 2002, 346, 877-883.
Sandy Hathaway
Senior Director, Global Communications
BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG
Woermannkehre 1
12359 Berlin
Tel. +49 (0) 30 68905 1602
Email: sandy.hathaway@biotronik.com
About BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG
As one of the world’s leading manufacturers of cardiovascular medical devices, with several million devices implanted, BIOTRONIK is represented in over 100 countries by its global workforce of more than 5,600 employees. Known for having its finger on the pulse of the medical community, BIOTRONIK assesses the challenges physicians face and provides the best solutions for all phases of patient care, ranging from diagnosis to treatment to patient management. Quality, innovation and reliability define BIOTRONIK and its growing success—and deliver confidence and peace of mind to physicians and their patients worldwide.