New Study Shows Improved Outcomes from SphygmoCor-Guided Therapy in Heart Failure Patients
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) April 07, 2014 -- AtCor Medical (ASX: ACG), the developer and marketer of the SphygmoCor® system which measures central aortic blood pressures and arterial stiffness noninvasively, today announced that the results of a clinical study examining treatment of heart failure patients guided by central blood pressure waveform analysis, measured by the SphygmoCor system, has been published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Published in the March 20 edition of the Journal of the American Heart Association, the study found that patients who received medical therapy for heart failure guided by central pressure waveform analysis were able to be treated more effectively with current standard medications, compared to traditional methods using brachial cuff (arm) blood pressure. Using the central pressure waveform to guide therapy resulted in a clinically significant improvement in exercise capacity (peak oxygen consumption), with no increased dizziness, worsening kidney function, syncope, hospitalization or death. The increase in exercise capacity was consistent with the results of other heart failure treatments such as cardiac resynchronization therapy.
This was the first randomized controlled trial to manage therapy using central aortic pressures in heart failure patients. It was conducted at the Mayo Clinic and the University of Arizona Medical Center. The trial considered data from 50 subjects and assessed them over a 6-month period. Adjustments to the patient’s medication were made at monthly intervals.
The primary study endpoint was improved exercise capacity, demonstrating reduced risk and improved quality of life for heart failure patients. Central Augmentation Index, obtained from the central pressure waveform analysis, is a key measure of arterial stiffness and pressure afterload on the heart.
Heart failure is a progressive condition in which the heart muscle becomes weakened as a result of injury from heart attack or high blood pressure and the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. It is a common condition suffered by an estimated 5.8 million people in the United States and an estimated 23 million worldwide.
The authors concluded, “Aggressive afterload reduction guided by aortic pressure waveform assessment was associated with improved exercise capacity and greater utilization of established HF (heart failure) therapies, even in the setting of maximal guideline directed medical therapy. These beneficial effects were observed even among patients with excellent blood pressure control at study entry, suggesting that clinically relevant improvements in exercise capacity, arterial loading, and potentially ventricular remodeling can be achieved with more liberal use of vasoactive therapies in HF.”
Dr. Barry Borlaug of the Mayo Clinic Division of Cardiovascular Diseases in Rochester, MN, and lead author of the publication, stated, “Pulse-wave guided therapy is safe and allows for greater titration of heart failure therapies which may explain the observed improvement in exercise capacity.”
Duncan Ross, CEO of AtCor Medical, said, “Heart failure is a chronic, high cost condition that has the attention of payers, physicians and patients alike. This trial shows that physicians can manage patients with chronic heart failure more effectively using the central pressure waveform. The study also demonstrates the importance of measuring central aortic blood pressures, as measured by a fully featured waveform, to fully understand what is happening in the arterial system and at its intersection with the heart.”
About AtCor Medical
AtCor Medical develops and markets products for the early detection of cardiovascular risk and management of cardiovascular disease. Its technology allows researchers and clinicians to measure central blood pressure non-invasively. The company’s SphygmoCor® system visibly identifies the effects of reflected blood pressure in the central aortic pressure wave, effects which cannot be detected with standard blood pressure monitoring. More than 3,300 SphygmoCor® systems are currently in use worldwide at major medical institutions, research institutions and in various clinical trials with leading pharmaceutical companies, and the company’s technology have been featured in over 700 peer-reviewed studies published in leading medical journals. AtCor has operations in Australia, the United States, and Europe. For further information, please visit our web site at http://www.atcormedical.com.
Duncan Ross, AtCor Medical, http://www.atcormedical.com, +1 (630) 228-8873, [email protected]
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