Published: Feb. 15, 2012
LANSING, Mich. - Sparrow enrolled its first Patient this week in the largest medical device trial to date for a device that monitors the heartbeats of high-risk Patients to detect heart attacks.
Sparrow is one of 200 centers nationwide participating in the trial for the Fortify® ST implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) system, sponsored by St. Jude Medical. The small device monitors and transmits information about the heart activity of Patients with coronary artery disease and a high risk of experiencing a life-threatening or potentially fatal coronary event, such as a heart attack. The device was implanted in the first Sparrow Patient on Feb. 8.
"Heart attacks are a major cause of death in the United States. If we can detect heart attacks earlier we can save many lives," said Sparrow TCI cardiologist Ranjan K. Thakur, MD. "This device may allow us to detect heart attacks earlier in Patients who are prone to them."
More than half of Patients experiencing a heart attack die before reaching a hospital. It is hoped that by monitoring a specific segment of a Patient's heartbeat, the ST segment, the device will prove to be effective at detecting heart attacks earlier and improve Patient outcomes.
The study is titled "ST Monitoring to Detect Acute Coronary Syndrome Events in ICD Patients" and is known as the Analyze ST trial. The study will also determine if the ST monitoring capability can detect acute coronary syndrome events, such as a heart attack, and it may also provide important insights into the time leading up to an event.
This is the first trial to study the device's use in the U.S. In all, more than 5,000 Patients will participate in the study to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the new ST monitoring feature.
For more information on the Analyze ST trial, visit www.sjm.com. Sparrow TCI and the Sparrow Heart and Vascular Center offer mid-Michigan's leading heart team, the finest clinicians and nurses, and the most advanced facilities. Our Physicians are leaders in groundbreaking cardiac research, having participated in hundreds of clinical trials with organizations throughout the nation. For more information, visit www.sparrow.org/heart-center or www.tciheart.com.