The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, First Worldwide to Enroll Patients in Implantable Cardiac Device Clinical Study

The Carl H. and Edyth Lindner Center for Research and Education at The Christ Hospital (The Lindner Research Center) is the first center worldwide to enroll patients in a new clinical study investigating the use of implanted pacemakers/defibrillator combined devices as a therapy to prevent changes in the structure and function of the heart following a severe heart attack. The Christ Hospital is one of 30 study sites worldwide participating in the Post-Myocardial Infarction (MI) Remodeling Prevention Therapy (PRomPT) clinical study, sponsored by Medtronic, Inc. “This study is looking at treatment strategies for the use of cardiac resynchronization therapy devices as currently indicated for patients who have suffered a heart attack,” said Eugene Chung, M.D., principal investigator for the PRomPT trial at The Lindner Research Center and medical director of outcomes at The Christ Hospital. “The devices involved in the study are all approved and in use today, but we’re investigating a different use of pacing technology and also looking at the timing of when those patients should begin receiving treatment.” Patients who survive MI, or a “heart attack,” are often at higher risk of developing heart failure. After a heart attack, heart muscle can become injured and progressively decline in performance. Medical devices, such as implantable cardiac defibrillators and pacemakers, can assist with heart function and have been shown to aid in the healing of an injured heart muscle by taking away some of the burden on the most vulnerable areas of the heart. However, current standard of care calls for waiting at least 40 days after a heart attack to implant such devices. This PRomPT clinical study will investigate the outcomes of implanting a cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator (CRT-D) device within 10 days of a heart attack to determine if pacing helps to reduce stress on injured tissue and improves healing. Those enrolled in the trial will receive CRT-D and then be randomized into three groups: those who receive dual site pacing therapy (paces the heart with a lead to the left and right ventricles of the heart), those who receive single site pacing therapy (paces the heart with leads to left ventricle only) and those who receive the current standard of care. Patients will be followed for 18 months and monitored for heart function, re-hospitalization rates and quality of life, among other criteria. For more information, please contact The Lindner Research Center at 513-585-1777. About The Lindner Research Center For the past 25 years, The Carl and Edyth Lindner Center for Research and Education (Lindner Research Center) has provided leading-edge medicines and medical technology research covering a broad spectrum of conditions from obesity, diabetes, coronary disease, hypertension and hyperlipidemia to new vascular interventional devices, adult stem cell therapies, structural heart disease, cardiovascular surgery, heart failure and electrophysiology. Physicians at the Lindner Research Center have conducted more than 1,200 clinical trials including multiple first-in-man and first-in-the-U.S procedures, which have contributed to best practice standards for the care of patients. For information on current trials, please call 513-585-1777. About The Christ Hospital The Christ Hospital offers a wide range of medical, surgical and testing services at its main campus just north of Downtown Cincinnati and at numerous outpatient and physician practice locations throughout Greater Cincinnati. Its mission is to provide the finest patient experience and improve the health of our community. For the past 11 years, The Christ Hospital has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation’s top hospitals, and has been named Cincinnati’s Most Preferred Hospital for 15 consecutive years by National Research Corporation (NRC). The Christ Hospital has been granted Magnet® recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center for excellence in nursing care. For more information about the award-winning services of The Christ Hospital, visit www.TheChristHospital.com.