Cardiac Denervation Surgery for Prevention of Ventricular Tachycardia (PREVENT VT)

This study is not yet open for participant recruitment.
Verified January 2013 by University of California, Los Angeles
Sponsor:
Collaborators:
CARE Hospital in Hyderabad, Andra Pradesh, India
University of Pavia
Holy Family Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Mid America Cardiology Clinic, Kansas City
Virginia Commonwealth University
University of Minnesota - Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Texas Heart Cardiac Arrhythmia, Austin, Texas
University of Alabama Medical Center, Birmingham, Alabama
Intermountain Health, Salt Lake City, Utah
Valley Health System, Ridgewood, New Jersey
Massachusetts General Hospital
University of Pennsylvania
Mayo Clinic, Rocehster, MN
Texas Heart Rhythm Center, Houston, TX
SOS cardio, Florianopolis, Brazil
Procardioco Hospital, Rio de Janeiro
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Marmar Vaseghi, University of California, Los Angeles
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT01013714
First received: November 13, 2009
Last updated: January 3, 2013
Last verified: January 2013
  Purpose

The purpose of this research study is to examine the effect of cardiac denervation surgery, otherwise known as bilateral cervico-thoracic sympathectomy, on life threatening abnormal heart rhythms called ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation that can lead to sudden cardiac death.

Subjects will be asked to participate in this research trial if they have had recurrent ventricular tachycardia (at least one ICD shock for ventricular tachycardia) and have undergone at least one catheter ablation procedure or have ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation that is not ablatable. The goal of this study is to determine whether bilateral cervicothoracic sympathectomy can prevent these abnormal heart rhythms from occurring and therefore, prevent, ICD shocks, which are not only painful, but have been shown to reduce quality of life and/or lead to depression, particularly in the period immediately after the shock.


Condition Intervention Phase
Sudden Cardiac Death
Ventricular Tachycardia
Ventricular Fibrillation
Cardiomyopathy
Procedure: Bilateral cervicothoracic sympathectomy
Drug: ICD, medical therapy, and catheter ablation of VT only
Phase 3

Study Type: Interventional
Study Design: Allocation: Randomized
Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Open Label
Primary Purpose: Prevention
Official Title: Prophylactic Bilateral Cervicothoracic Sympathectomy for Prevention of Ventricular Tachycardia

Resource links provided by NLM:


Further study details as provided by University of California, Los Angeles:

Primary Outcome Measures:
  • Survival free from any appropriate ICD shock 72 hours after sympathectomy procedure. [ Time Frame: 2 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Secondary Outcome Measures:
  • Freedom from any appropriate ICD therapy. [ Time Frame: 2 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Freedom from Composite of Death and ICD shocks [ Time Frame: 2 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Freedom from VT ablation procedure [ Time Frame: 2 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Freedom from Death [ Time Frame: 2 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Frequency of ICD therapies [ Time Frame: 2 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Trend in ICD shocks [ Time Frame: 2 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Estimated Enrollment: 216
Study Start Date: July 2013
Estimated Study Completion Date: July 2017
Estimated Primary Completion Date: July 2015 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
Arms Assigned Interventions
Active Comparator: Sympathectomy + medical therapy + ICD

Bilateral cervicothoracic sympathectomy will be performed in patients randomized to the Active Therapy Arm/ Any clinically approved endoscopic method of sympathectomy with removal of the lower half of the bilateral cervical stellate ganglia and T2-T4 ganglia is acceptable.

All patients meeting the inclusion criteria of this study will have undergone or will undergo an ICD placement based on ACC/AHA criteria.

All participants will have had at least one ICD shock despite having a catheter ablation of VT performed prior to enrollment.

If patient has a recurrent ICD shock while enrolled in the study, repeat VT ablation procedure, as indicated, can be performed.

Follow-up Visits

  • Surgical follow up will occur at 2-4 weeks after discharge in the sympathectomy group.
  • All patients will be followed up every 6 months up to 24 months at the ICD clinic.
  • Information regarding ICD therapy and arrhythmias will be obtained from ICD interrogations at these follow ups.
Procedure: Bilateral cervicothoracic sympathectomy
Bilateral cervicothoracic sympathectomy which involves endoscopic removal of the lower one third to one half of the stellate ganglia together with the thoracic ganglia of T2 - T4 provides adequate cardiac denervation with no or minimal Horner's syndrome in long QT syndrome and recurrent angina. Though this procedure has been traditionally performed under general anesthesia most commonly using a supraclavicular approach, endoscopic techniques are now available, reducing both the duration and invasiveness of the procedure and hospitalization. Video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomy provides a minimally invasive endoscopic approach to this procedure that is safe and effective. Furthermore, the procedure can be completed in less than 45 minutes per side.
Placebo Comparator: Standard medical therapy, ICD

Patients assigned to this arm will not undergo denervation therapy (sympathectomy). All patients meeting the inclusion criteria of this study and randomized to the placebo arm will have undergone or will undergo an ICD based on ACC/AHA criteria.

If patient has a recurrent ICD shock while enrolled, a repeat VT ablation procedure as clinically indicated, can be performed.

  • Single or dual chamber device
  • ICD Programming to minimize ventricular pacing unless biventricular pacing indicated.
  • VF zone greater than 200 BPM
  • Bradycardia at 40 BPM with hysteresis, unless biventricular pacing indicated.
  • ATP: Burst pacing for monomorphic VT x 3.
  • VT zone programmed to 10 beats faster than clinical VT

Follow-up Visits

  • All patients will be followed up every six months up to 24 months
  • Information regarding ICD therapy and arrhythmias will be obtained from ICD memory at these follow ups.
Drug: ICD, medical therapy, and catheter ablation of VT only
Patients assigned to this arm will receive ACC/AHA guideline recommended therapies for heart failure only and will undergo/will have already undergone ICD placement as indicated for their heart failure. Furthermore, they will be considered for catheter ablation of their arrhythmia and will undergo catheter ablation of their ventricular arrhythmias prior to randomization.

Detailed Description:

The purpose of this research study is to examine the effect of a procedure called bilateral cervicothoracic sympathectomy which involves removal of part of the cervical stellate ganglia and thoracic ganglia of level 2 to 4. These ganglia house the left and right sided nerves that feed the heart and have been implicated in the occurrence of fast abnormal rhythms that cause defibrillator shocks and sudden death. Stimulation of these nerves has been shown to increase the incidence of sudden death and fast abnormal heart rhythms that lead to internal defibrillator shocks called ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation. Removal of the ganglia of these nerves in animal and human studies has been shown to decrease the incidence of life threatening abnormal rhythms and sudden death. The purpose of this study is to examine whether this procedure along with an internal defibrillator and current maximum medical therapy can reduce the incidence of these life threatening abnormal rhythms as compared to an internal defibrillator and medical therapy alone.

We are inviting patients to participate in this clinical trial who have undergone at least one catheter ablation procedure for ventricular tachycardia but have continued to experience recurrent arrhythmias or who have a type of ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation that can not be treated with catheter ablation procedures. You maybe randomized to receive the procedure and an internal defibrillator (if you don't have one already) plus maximum medical therapy to receive the defibrillator and medical therapy and catheter ablation. The procedure involves removal of part of the bilateral ganglia of the nerves that feed the heart. This procedure takes less than 45 minutes on each side and can be performed endoscopically.

We are asking 226 individuals (approximate age range 18-80 years) who continue to experience ICD shocks despite at least one catheter ablation procedure to participate in this research trial but only half these individual will be randomized under the bilateral cervicothoracic sympathectomy.

  Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:   18 Years to 80 Years
Genders Eligible for Study:   Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:   No
Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Any cardiomyopathy and at least one ICD shock after at least 1 VT ablation procedure or ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation that is not ablatable.

If ischemic, MI occurred more than one month before enrollment. ICD implantation with at least 1 ICD shock. Age greater than 18 years old.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Active ongoing cardiac ischemia as assessed by EKG, cardiac enzymes, symptoms, coronary angiography with evidence of significant epicardial coronary stenosis (>70%), stress testing showing evidence of ischemia.

Revascularization in the past 90 days.

  • Incessant ventricular tachycardia
  • Contraindication to sympathectomy.
  • Any medical or non-medical condition likely to prevent completion of trial.
  • Slow VT, rate < 120 bpm.
  • History of LVAD or BIVAD.
  • Pregnancy
  • Inability to give consent.
  Contacts and Locations
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01013714

Contacts
Contact: Kalyanam Shivkumar, MD, PhD 310-206-2235 kshivkumar@mednet.ucla.edu
Contact: Marmar Vaseghi, MD 310-206-2235 mvaseghi@mednet.ucla.edu

Locations
United States, California
UCLA Not yet recruiting
Los Angeles, California, United States, 90065
Contact: Michelle Betwarda, M.S.     310-206-2235     mbetwarda@mednet.ucla.edu    
Contact: Marmar Vaseghi, MD     310-206-2235     mvaseghi@mednet.ucla.edu    
Principal Investigator: Kalyanam Shivkumar, MD, PhD            
Sub-Investigator: Marmar Vaseghi, MD            
Sponsors and Collaborators
University of California, Los Angeles
CARE Hospital in Hyderabad, Andra Pradesh, India
University of Pavia
Holy Family Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Mid America Cardiology Clinic, Kansas City
Virginia Commonwealth University
University of Minnesota - Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Texas Heart Cardiac Arrhythmia, Austin, Texas
University of Alabama Medical Center, Birmingham, Alabama
Intermountain Health, Salt Lake City, Utah
Valley Health System, Ridgewood, New Jersey
Massachusetts General Hospital
University of Pennsylvania
Mayo Clinic, Rocehster, MN
Texas Heart Rhythm Center, Houston, TX
SOS cardio, Florianopolis, Brazil
Procardioco Hospital, Rio de Janeiro
Investigators
Principal Investigator: Kalyanam Shivkumar, MD, PhD University of California Los Angeles Cardiac Arrhythmia Center
Principal Investigator: Marmar Vaseghi, MD MS University of California, Los Angeles
  More Information

Publications:

Responsible Party: Marmar Vaseghi, Assistant Professor, University of California, Los Angeles
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01013714     History of Changes
Other Study ID Numbers: UCLA09-07-100-01
Study First Received: November 13, 2009
Last Updated: January 3, 2013
Health Authority: United States: Institutional Review Board

Keywords provided by University of California, Los Angeles:
Sudden cardiac death
Ventricular tachycardia
Ventricular fibrillation
Cardiomyopathy
Internal cardiac defibrillator shocks
Internal cardiac defibrillator therapies

Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Death
Tachycardia
Ventricular Fibrillation
Tachycardia, Ventricular
Death, Sudden, Cardiac
Cardiomyopathies
Pathologic Processes
Arrhythmias, Cardiac
Heart Diseases
Cardiovascular Diseases
Heart Arrest
Death, Sudden

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on June 18, 2013