ESC 2017 Roundup: Biotronik touts lowered mortality for AF patients treated with cath ablation

Biotronik today released results from the Castle-AF study exploring the use of catheter ablation to treat heart failure patients with atrial fibrillation, touting a 38% composite reduction in all-cause mortality and hospitalization for worsening heart failure. The 398-patient, 33-site study compared the results of catheter ablation treatment for AF in heart failure patients using implantable cardioverter defibrillators or cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators to standard-of-care pharmacological therapy, the company said. Biotronik touted it as the largest study of its kind to date. Results indicated a 47% reduction in mortality for patients treated with catheter ablation, as well as a 44% reduction in hospitalizations for worsening heart failure, the company said. “Castle-AF is currently the only existing study that measures a hard primary outcome in patients who have received catheter ablation or conventional therapy for AF The results of this trial underscore the importance of catheter ablation as a mode of treatment, indicating that the procedure should be performed as early as possible and as a first-line therapy in this group of patients,” study co-lead Dr. Nassir Marrouche of the University of Utah said in a prepared statement. “There has been a general lack of consensus within the scientific community on the most appropriate way to manage AF in heart failure patients. The indicative results from Castle-AF could pave the way for wider adopt...
Source: Mass Device - Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tags: Cardiac Assist Devices Cardiac Implants Cardiovascular Clinical Trials Biotronik Medtronic Source Type: news