Cardiac Rhythm Abnormalities in Patients With Refractory Epilepsy at High Risk for Sudden Death

October 17, 2016 updated by: Thomas Jefferson University

People with epilepsy are at a higher risk for sudden unexpected death than the general population. Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is a major cause of death in this population, accounting for 10-50% of deaths for those with epilepsy. The risk for SUDEP is particularly high for those with refractory epilepsy. Several lines of evidence support a cardiac mechanism for SUDEP.

This study plans to determine:

  1. the frequency and types of cardiac arrhythmias that occur in this population and
  2. whether these are increased above the general population in the same age group.

Additionally, these data will be correlated to specific clinical data, including seizure history, anticonvulsant medications, and any accompanying clinical symptoms.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

By employing long-term electrocardiographic monitoring, this study plans to determine:

  1. the frequency and types of cardiac arrhythmias that occur in patients with uncontrolled seizures and
  2. whether these are increased above the general population in the same age group.

The specific aims:

  1. Identify the types, frequency, and duration of cardiac arrhythmias that occur in patients with refractory epilepsy and compare these data to available normative data.

  2. Correlate abnormal heart rates and rhythms to specific clinical data:

    1. seizure type,
    2. seizure frequency,
    3. probable location of seizure onset in the brain, when such data are available,
    4. duration of seizures, and
    5. type(s) and number of anticonvulsant medications being used.
  3. Correlate cardiac arrhythmias to clinical symptoms

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

19

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Pennsylvania
      • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19107
        • Thomas Jefferson University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

16 years to 49 years (Child, Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Individuals with refractory focal or generalized epilepsy.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Refractory epilepsy

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Other pre-existing heart conditions

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Thomas Jefferson University

Collaborators

Medtronic

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Maromi Nei, MD, Thomas Jefferson University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

April 1, 2002

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2007

Study Completion (Actual)

January 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 13, 2005

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 13, 2005

First Posted (Estimate)

September 20, 2005

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

October 18, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 17, 2016

Last Verified

October 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • J05901

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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