Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy in Patients After Implantation of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators to Improve Long-Term Outcomes

NCT04505007 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: ICD-GDMT
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 29
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) and the mortality benefit it provides in the heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) population are well-established by multiple professional society guidelines. GDMT refers to initial medical therapy with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) or angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARB), beta-blockers (BB), and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRA) titrating to maximally tolerated doses for patients with HFrEF. Cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) such as the implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) have also become a mainstay in the management of HFrEF after implementation of GDMT. ICD therapy is an effective and established treatment for HFrEF patients for both primary and secondary prevention of SCD. Regarding the use, adherence and results of GDMT after ICD/CRT implantation, there is very limited data available in the literature. There are a few retrospective trials that show this, however very limited randomized controlled data. This proposed study would randomize patients with primary prevention ICDs and CRT into a specialized clinic with a heart failure nurse practitioner vs usual clinical care, with the goal of determining outcomes such as change in LVEFs, heart failure hospitalizations, and visits to the ER for heart failure. Consequently, this would determine whether targeted clinics are needed for ICD/CRT patients with HFrEF to optimize GDMT, improve patient outcomes and thus implement new guidelines/recommendations for this specific patient population.

Conditions

Heart Failure; ICD

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF)

  The proportion of patients that experience more than 10% increase in LVEF. This outcome will demonstrate if the experimental group had benefit in their heart function (ie LVEF). A successful outcome is if the patient demonstrated an increase by at least 10% in the LVEF over the year of follow up.

  1 year

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Mortality rate

  1 year

• Heart failure hospitalization frequency

  1 year

• Rate of adherence to guideline directed medical therapy

  1 year

Study Arms (2)

Usual clinical care

NO INTERVENTION

In this arm, patients with devices and heart failure will undergo usual clinical care. This consists of follow-up as deemed necessary by their primary care providers.

Specialized clinic

EXPERIMENTAL

In this arm, patients with devices and heart failure will be enrolled in a specialized clinic with the following aims: 1. Referral to a heart failure nurse practitioner to undergo optimization of medical therapy. 2. Optimization of device programming with reduction of ventricular pacing where possible, rate responsiveness when indicated. 3. For those patients with CRT - ECG optimization using a previously tested protocol will be performed. This will consist of attempts to achieve the shortest QRS duration with the following guidelines: 1. Two BV fusion patterns in leads V1 and V2: QRS normalization or a new or an increased R wave. 2. QRS difference ≤-25 ms. Remodelling probability increases as QRS difference takes on larger negative values (QRS difference = BV paced QRS - LBBB QRS duration, in ms).

Other: Specialized heart function clinic

Interventions

Specialized heart function clinic OTHER

This information has already been provided.

Specialized clinic

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• \- patients who underwent ICD or CRT (pacemaker or defibrillator) implantation therapy at the QEII Health Sciences Centre between 2002 and 2019 and had a left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 35% at the time of the initial implantation.

You may not qualify if:

• unable to provide informed consent, has a life expectancy of less than one year, dementia, cirrhosis, or metastatic malignancy.
• Patients who underwent primary prevention ICD implantation for arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), ion channelopathies, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or infiltrative cardiomyopathy will be excluded from this analysis.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Ratika Parkash: lead
• Nova Scotia Health Authority: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

QEII Health Sciences Centre

Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 3A7, Canada

Location

Related Publications (10)

• Ezekowitz JA, O'Meara E, McDonald MA, Abrams H, Chan M, Ducharme A, Giannetti N, Grzeslo A, Hamilton PG, Heckman GA, Howlett JG, Koshman SL, Lepage S, McKelvie RS, Moe GW, Rajda M, Swiggum E, Virani SA, Zieroth S, Al-Hesayen A, Cohen-Solal A, D'Astous M, De S, Estrella-Holder E, Fremes S, Green L, Haddad H, Harkness K, Hernandez AF, Kouz S, LeBlanc MH, Masoudi FA, Ross HJ, Roussin A, Sussex B. 2017 Comprehensive Update of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Guidelines for the Management of Heart Failure. Can J Cardiol. 2017 Nov;33(11):1342-1433. doi: 10.1016/j.cjca.2017.08.022. Epub 2017 Sep 6.

  PMID: 29111106 BACKGROUND

• Yancy CW, Jessup M, Bozkurt B, Butler J, Casey DE Jr, Colvin MM, Drazner MH, Filippatos GS, Fonarow GC, Givertz MM, Hollenberg SM, Lindenfeld J, Masoudi FA, McBride PE, Peterson PN, Stevenson LW, Westlake C. 2017 ACC/AHA/HFSA Focused Update of the 2013 ACCF/AHA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Heart Failure Society of America. Circulation. 2017 Aug 8;136(6):e137-e161. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000509. Epub 2017 Apr 28. No abstract available.

  PMID: 28455343 BACKGROUND

• Ponikowski P, Voors AA, Anker SD, Bueno H, Cleland JG, Coats AJ, Falk V, Gonzalez-Juanatey JR, Harjola VP, Jankowska EA, Jessup M, Linde C, Nihoyannopoulos P, Parissis JT, Pieske B, Riley JP, Rosano GM, Ruilope LM, Ruschitzka F, Rutten FH, van der Meer P. [2016 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure]. Kardiol Pol. 2016;74(10):1037-1147. doi: 10.5603/KP.2016.0141. No abstract available. Polish.

  PMID: 27748494 BACKGROUND

• Bennett M, Parkash R, Nery P, Senechal M, Mondesert B, Birnie D, Sterns LD, Rinne C, Exner D, Philippon F, Campbell D, Cox J, Dorian P, Essebag V, Krahn A, Manlucu J, Molin F, Slawnych M, Talajic M. Canadian Cardiovascular Society/Canadian Heart Rhythm Society 2016 Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Guidelines. Can J Cardiol. 2017 Feb;33(2):174-188. doi: 10.1016/j.cjca.2016.09.009. Epub 2016 Oct 6.

  PMID: 28034580 BACKGROUND

• Exner DV, Birnie DH, Moe G, Thibault B, Philippon F, Healey JS, Tang AS, Larose E, Parkash R. Canadian Cardiovascular Society guidelines on the use of cardiac resynchronization therapy: evidence and patient selection. Can J Cardiol. 2013 Feb;29(2):182-95. doi: 10.1016/j.cjca.2012.10.006.

  PMID: 23351926 BACKGROUND

• Roth GA, Poole JE, Zaha R, Zhou W, Skinner J, Morden NE. Use of Guideline-Directed Medications for Heart Failure Before Cardioverter-Defibrillator Implantation. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2016 Mar 8;67(9):1062-1069. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2015.12.046.

  PMID: 26940927 BACKGROUND

• Hauptman PJ, Swindle JP, Masoudi FA, Burroughs TE. Underutilization of beta-blockers in patients undergoing implantable cardioverter-defibrillator and cardiac resynchronization procedures. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2010 Mar;3(2):204-11. doi: 10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.109.880450. Epub 2010 Mar 2.

  PMID: 20197509 BACKGROUND

• Massoullie G, Chouki C, Mulliez A, Rossignol P, Ploux S, Pereira B, Reuillard A, Jean F, Andronache M, Eschalier A, Motreff P, Clerfond G, Bordachar P, Authier N, Eschalier R. Effect of Optimization of Medical Treatment on Long-Term Survival of Patients With Heart Failure After Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator and Cardiac Resynchronization Device Implantation (from the French National EGB Database). Am J Cardiol. 2018 Mar 15;121(6):725-730. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2017.12.013. Epub 2018 Jan 3.

  PMID: 29402420 BACKGROUND

• Mullens W, Kepa J, De Vusser P, Vercammen J, Rivero-Ayerza M, Wagner P, Dens J, Vrolix M, Vandervoort P, Tang WH. Importance of adjunctive heart failure optimization immediately after implantation to improve long-term outcomes with cardiac resynchronization therapy. Am J Cardiol. 2011 Aug 1;108(3):409-15. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2011.03.060. Epub 2011 May 6.

  PMID: 21550578 BACKGROUND

• Januzzi JL, Butler J, Fombu E, Maisel A, McCague K, Pina IL, Prescott MF, Riebman JB, Solomon S. Rationale and methods of the Prospective Study of Biomarkers, Symptom Improvement, and Ventricular Remodeling During Sacubitril/Valsartan Therapy for Heart Failure (PROVE-HF). Am Heart J. 2018 May;199:130-136. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2017.12.021. Epub 2018 Feb 13.

  PMID: 29754651 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Heart Failure

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Heart Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases

Study Officials

• Ratika Parkash, MD

  NSHA

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: CARE PROVIDER, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: Patients will be coded with a unique identifier.
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Cardiologist

Model Details: randomized 1:1 to either arm

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 23, 2020
• First Posted: August 7, 2020
• Study Start: June 1, 2021
• Primary Completion: December 1, 2023
• Study Completion: August 31, 2024
• Last Updated: November 26, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)