Cardiac Sympathetic Denervation for Prevention of Ventricular Tachyarrhythmias (PREVENT VT)

Prophylactic Cardiac Sympathetic Denervation for Prevention of Ventricular Tachyarrhythmias (PREVENT VT)

The purpose of this research study is to examine the effect of cardiac sympathetic denervation (CSD) surgery 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 study if they have 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 cardiac sympathetic denervation 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.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Ventricular Fibrillation; Ventricular Tachycardia; Sudden Cardiac Death; Cardiomyopathy
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Cardiac Sympathetic Denervation (CSD); Drug: Routine Care

Detailed Description

The purpose of this study is to determine if bilateral cardiac sympathetic denervation (CSD) in addition to routine care is more effective than routine care for the treatment of ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) who continue to have episodes of VT despite drug therapy and when appropriate, at least one catheter ablation procedure.

The CSD procedure 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 procedure takes less than 45 minutes on each side and can be performed endoscopically.

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 (ICD shocks) or who have a type of ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation that can not be treated with catheter ablation procedures. Patients will be randomized in a 1:1 fashion to either routine care + cardiac sympathetic denervation (CSD) or routine care without cardiac sympathetic denervation. We are asking 40 individuals (approximate age range 18-80 years) who continue to experience ICD shocks to participate in this research study but only half these individual will be randomized to cardiac sympathetic denervation (CSD) surgery.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 40
• Phase: Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Marmar Vaseghi, MD, PhD; Phone Number: 310-206-2235; Email: mvaseghi@mednet.ucla.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90095
      • Recruiting
      • UCLA Health
      • Contact: Marmar M Vaseghi, MD, PhD; Phone Number: 310-206-2235; Email: mvaseghi@mednet.ucla.edu
      • Principal Investigator: Marmar Vaseghi, MD, PhD
      • Sub-Investigator: Kalyanam Shivkumar, MD, PhD
  • Oregon
    • Portland, Oregon, United States, 97239
      • Recruiting
      • OHSU
      • Contact: Saket Sanghai, MD; Email: sanghai@ohsu.edu
  • Tennessee
    • Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 37235
      • Recruiting
      • Vanderbilt University
      • Contact: Arvindh Kanagasundram, MD; Email: arvindh.n.kanagasundram@vanderbilt.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

INCLUSION CRITERIA

1. Appropriate ICD shock for VT after at least one catheter ablation of VT procedure, OR appropriate ICD shock for VT and underwent electrophysiology study/ablation procedure where the procedure was not successful (i.e. determined that VT comes from an inaccessible location or VT was not inducible and could not be targeted or continued to have inducible VT at the end of the procedure) OR appropriate ICD shock for VT and not a candidate for VT ablation (i.e. patients with presence polymorphic VT or ventricular fibrillation, LV thrombus)).
2. Presence of structural heart disease as defined as EF ≤ 50% or presence of ventricular scar as detected by imaging modalities or electroanatomic mapping, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, cardiac sarcoidosis, or arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.
3. Patient is taking at least one anti-arrhythmic drug or has documented intolerance or toxicity to at least one anti-arrhythmic drug.
4. 18 years of age or older at time of enrollment
5. Able and willing to comply with all pre- and follow-up testing and requirements.
6. Provision of signed informed consent and stated willingness to comply with all study procedures for duration of the study.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA

1. Active ongoing cardiac ischemia as assessed by: ECG, cardiac enzymes, symptoms, coronary angiography with evidence of significant epicardial coronary stenosis (>70%), or stress testing. (Note: positive troponin assay due to ICD shocks is not an exclusion criterion).
2. Any medical or non-medical condition likely to prevent completion of trial.
3. Contraindication to cardiac sympathetic denervation (i.e. unlikely to tolerate general anesthesia, single-lung ventilation, severe pulmonary disease, or severe pulmonary hypertension) or previous cardiac sympathetic denervation procedure.
4. Left ventricular assist device or status post orthotopic heart transplantation
5. Severe thrombocytopenia (platelets < 50,000) or Coagulopathy (INR > 2.0) that is not due to medications or a reversible cause.
6. Women who are pregnant (as evidenced by pregnancy test if pre-menopausal).
7. Unable or unwilling to comply with protocol requirements.
8. NYHA class IV heart failure symptoms.
9. Known channelopathy such as long QT syndrome and catecholaminergic polymorphic VT.
10. Clinical VT rate < 150 bpm

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Routine Care + Cardiac Sympathetic Denervation (CSD); Patients in this arm receive routine care and undergo cardiac sympathetic denervation. The procedure must be scheduled to occur within one month of randomization. Follow-up Visits; Follow up at 4 weeks after optimization of medical therapy and surgery; All patients are followed at the ICD clinic at 7 months or as needed.; Information regarding ICD therapy and arrhythmias will be obtained from ICD interrogations at the follow up visits.; Monthly phone calls will be used to determine for interval events, including presence of side-effects. VT Ablation is permitted in both arms for ICD shock after optimization.	Procedure: Cardiac Sympathetic Denervation (CSD); Cardiac sympathetic denervation is performed using an endoscopic procedure called VATS (video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomy). The surgeon removes the lower half of the stellate ganglia in addition to the thoracic ganglia of T2 - T4 on both the right and left side. The VATS procedure provides a minimally invasive endoscopic approach that is safe and effective. The procedure can be completed in less than 45 minutes on each side.; Drug: Routine Care; Anti-arrhythmic medications are continued for the duration of the study unless discontinued or adjusted to due to drug toxicity, intolerance, or ICD shock. All anti-arrhythmic medications (whether in the routine care or surgical arm) can be adjusted at the discretion of the treating physician.
Placebo Comparator: Routine Care; Patients in this arm remain on prescribed drug regimen and will not undergo CSD. Follow-up Visits; Medical follow up at 4 weeks after optimization of medical therapy.; All patients are followed at the ICD clinic at 7 months or as needed.; Information regarding ICD therapy and arrhythmias will be obtained from ICD interrogations at the follow up visits.; Monthly phone calls will be used to determine for interval events, including presence of side-effects. VT Ablation is permitted in both arms for ICD shock after optimization.	Drug: Routine Care; Anti-arrhythmic medications are continued for the duration of the study unless discontinued or adjusted to due to drug toxicity, intolerance, or ICD shock. All anti-arrhythmic medications (whether in the routine care or surgical arm) can be adjusted at the discretion of the treating physician.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Time to ICD shock, death, or cardiac transplantation	To compare the time to first occurrence of appropriate ICD shock, death or cardiac transplantation in CSD+routine care vs. routine care groups.	7 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of ICD shocks	To compare the number of ICD shocks in patients with Routine Care + CSD to Routine Care.	7 months
Number of appropriate ICD therapies (including ATPs ) and sustained VT below ICD detection	To compare the number of appropriate ICD therapies and VT episodes below ICD detection in patients with Routine Care + CSD to Routine Care.	7 months
Serious adverse events	To assess the occurrence of serious adverse events in patients treated with Routine Care + CSD and Routine Care.	7 months
Number and etiology of hospitalizations	Number and etiology of hospitalization will be compared in the control vs. intervention group.	7 months
Number of deaths or cardiac transplantations	Number of deaths or cardiac transplantation in both arms of the study will be compared.	7 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of California, Los Angeles
• Collaborators: Oregon Health and Science University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Marmar Vaseghi, MD, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Schwartz PJ, Priori SG, Cerrone M, Spazzolini C, Odero A, Napolitano C, Bloise R, De Ferrari GM, Klersy C, Moss AJ, Zareba W, Robinson JL, Hall WJ, Brink PA, Toivonen L, Epstein AE, Li C, Hu D. Left cardiac sympathetic denervation in the management of high-risk patients affected by the long-QT syndrome. Circulation. 2004 Apr 20;109(15):1826-33. doi: 10.1161/01.CIR.0000125523.14403.1E. Epub 2004 Mar 29.
• Bourke T, Vaseghi M, Michowitz Y, Sankhla V, Shah M, Swapna N, Boyle NG, Mahajan A, Narasimhan C, Lokhandwala Y, Shivkumar K. Neuraxial modulation for refractory ventricular arrhythmias: value of thoracic epidural anesthesia and surgical left cardiac sympathetic denervation. Circulation. 2010 Jun 1;121(21):2255-62. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.929703. Epub 2010 May 17.
• Mahajan A, Moore J, Cesario DA, Shivkumar K. Use of thoracic epidural anesthesia for management of electrical storm: a case report. Heart Rhythm. 2005 Dec;2(12):1359-62. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2005.09.004. No abstract available.
• Stephenson EA, Berul CI. Electrophysiological interventions for inherited arrhythmia syndromes. Circulation. 2007 Aug 28;116(9):1062-80. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.106.655779. No abstract available.
• Nademanee K, Taylor R, Bailey WE, Rieders DE, Kosar EM. Treating electrical storm : sympathetic blockade versus advanced cardiac life support-guided therapy. Circulation. 2000 Aug 15;102(7):742-7. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.102.7.742.
• Tygesen H, Wettervik C, Claes G, Drott C, Emanuelsson H, Solem J, Lomsky M, Radberg G, Wennerblom B. Long-term effect of endoscopic transthoracic sympathicotomy on heart rate variability and QT dispersion in severe angina pectoris. Int J Cardiol. 1999 Aug 31;70(3):283-92. doi: 10.1016/s0167-5273(99)00101-1.
• Li J, Wang L, Wang J. Video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomy for congenital long QT syndromes. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol. 2003 Apr;26(4 Pt 1):870-3. doi: 10.1046/j.1460-9592.2003.t01-1-00152.x.
• Ouriel K, Moss AJ. Long QT syndrome: an indication for cervicothoracic sympathectomy. Cardiovasc Surg. 1995 Oct;3(5):475-8. doi: 10.1016/0967-2109(95)94444-2.
• Lobato EB, Kern KB, Paige GB, Brown M, Sulek CA. Differential effects of right versus left stellate ganglion block on left ventricular function in humans: an echocardiographic analysis. J Clin Anesth. 2000 Jun;12(4):315-8. doi: 10.1016/s0952-8180(00)00158-6.
• Schlack W, Dinter W. Haemodynamic effects of a left stellate ganglion block in ASA I patients. An echocardiographic study. Eur J Anaesthesiol. 2000 Feb;17(2):79-84. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2346.2000.00606.x.
• Ajijola OA, Vaseghi M, Mahajan A, Shivkumar K. Bilateral cardiac sympathetic denervation: why, who and when? Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2012 Aug;10(8):947-9. doi: 10.1586/erc.12.93. No abstract available.
• Johnson JP, Ahn SS, Choi WC, Masciopinto JE, Kim KD, Filler AG, Desalles AA. Thoracoscopic sympathectomy: techniques and outcomes. Neurosurg Focus. 1998 Feb 15;4(2):e4. doi: 10.3171/foc.1998.4.2.7.
• Vaseghi M, Gima J, Kanaan C, Ajijola OA, Marmureanu A, Mahajan A, Shivkumar K. Cardiac sympathetic denervation in patients with refractory ventricular arrhythmias or electrical storm: intermediate and long-term follow-up. Heart Rhythm. 2014 Mar;11(3):360-6. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2013.11.028. Epub 2013 Nov 28.
• Vaseghi M, Barwad P, Malavassi Corrales FJ, Tandri H, Mathuria N, Shah R, Sorg JM, Gima J, Mandal K, Saenz Morales LC, Lokhandwala Y, Shivkumar K. Cardiac Sympathetic Denervation for Refractory Ventricular Arrhythmias. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2017 Jun 27;69(25):3070-3080. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2017.04.035. Erratum In: J Am Coll Cardiol. 2017 Aug 8;70(6):811.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 26, 2021
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 13, 2009
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 13, 2009
• First Posted (Estimated): November 16, 2009

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): January 19, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 17, 2024
• Last Verified: January 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Ventricular fibrillation; Cardiomyopathy; Sudden cardiac death; Ventricular tachycardia; Internal cardiac defibrillator shocks; Internal cardiac defibrillator therapies
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Heart Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Death, Sudden; Arrhythmias, Cardiac; Cardiac Conduction System Disease; Heart Arrest; Death; Ventricular Fibrillation; Tachycardia; Tachycardia, Ventricular; Cardiomyopathies; Death, Sudden, Cardiac
• Other Study ID Numbers: UCLA09-07-100-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Deidentified data will be shared with other investigators upon request.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: 3 years
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No