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Myotonic DystrophyNCT00127582

RAMYD Study - Evaluation of Arrhythmic Risk in Myotonic Dystrophy

A study testing Electrophysiological study and pacemaker , implantable cardiac defibrillator or loop-recorder implant in people with Myotonic Dystrophy and Sudden Cardiac Death, run by Catholic University of the Sacred Heart at 1 site in Italy.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This is a prospective multicentric Italian study to evaluate the arrhythmic risk in myotonic dystrophy type 1. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 70 years
Conditions the study is for
Myotonic Dystrophy, Sudden Cardiac Death
What is being tested?
Electrophysiological study and pacemaker , implantable cardiac defibrillator or loop-recorder implant
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
537 participants
Where
1 siteItaly
Study dates
Jan 2003to Dec 2010
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 70 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Patient affected by myotonic dystrophy type I (MD1).
  • Patient willing to provide a signed informed consent.

Who cannot join

  • Age < 18 years old or >70 years old.
  • Ischemic cardiomyopathy
  • Cardiomyopathy due to chronic excess of alcohol consumption (>100 g\day)
  • Congenital heart disease
  • Acquired valvular heart disease
  • Metabolic cardiomyopathy: thyrotoxicosis, hypothyroidism, adrenal cortical insufficiency, pheochromocytoma, acromegaly
Show all 9Show fewer
  • Familiar storage and infiltrative diseases (hemochromatosis, glycogen storage, Hurler's syndrome, Niemann-Pick disease; primary, secondary, familial and hereditary cardiac amyloidoses)
  • Systemic diseases (connective tissue disorder; sarcoidosis)
  • Peripartum cardiomyopathy

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Italy1 site
  • Catholic University of Sacred Heart

    Rome, 00168

Other trials in Italy

About this study

Official title: Evaluation of Arrhythmic Risk in Myotonic Dystrophy Type I (DM 1)

This is a prospective multicentric Italian study to evaluate the arrhythmic risk in myotonic dystrophy type 1.

Read the detailed description

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1, Steinert disease) is a multisystem disorder that affects, beside muscle, several other organs, including the heart.

Cardiac involvement represents a major problem in the clinical management of patients, so that cardiac complications represent one of the primary causes of premature death in DM1. In particular there is a high incidence of sudden death, ranging from 2 to 30% of cases, so far principally related to the development of conduction blocks. However, literature reports of sudden death in patients implanted with pacemakers, as well as of spontaneous ventricular tachycardia would suggest a potential etiologic role also for ventricular arrhythmias. The lack of clinical research studies conducted on a large number of patients does not make available definite data regarding the etiology and the epidemiology of arrhythmic events in DM1. For the same reasons, other considerable topics, such as prognostic stratification of the arrhythmic risk and clinical management of life-threatening arrhythmias in DM1 patients, are still undefined.

To clarify these issues, the investigators propose a clinical research study performed on a large cohort of DM1 patients enrolled through a multicenter collaboration that also involves 5 cardiological-neurological Italian centres.

Aims of this study are:

  • To estimate the incidence of arrhythmias and to characterize the brady-tachyarrhythmic mechanisms underlying the occurrence of cardiac sudden death in DM1;
  • To verify by statistical analysis the reliability of data obtained from both non invasive and invasive diagnostic procedures as indexes useful for estimating the arrhythmic risk in DM1;
  • To identify more adequate therapeutic guidelines in order to prevent the occurrence of life-threatening arrhythmias.

The protocol of study includes:

  1. Clinical-genetic evaluation;
  2. Non invasive and invasive diagnostic cardiac procedures;
  3. The use of devices for diagnostic and therapeutic follow-up.
Being tested
Electrophysiological study, pacemaker , implantable cardiac defibrillator or loop-recorder implant
Keywords
Myotonic dystrophy type 1, Sudden cardiac death, Ventricular tachyarrhythmias, Bradyarrhythmias
Medical subject headings
Myotonic Dystrophy, Death, Sudden, Cardiac, Tachycardia, Ventricular, Bradycardia

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Electrophysiological studyProcedure or surgery

  • pacemaker , implantable cardiac defibrillator or loop-recorder implantDevice

Study groups in NCT00127582
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Patient affected by myotonic dystrophy type I (MD1)ExperimentalCardiac involvement represents a major problem in the clinical management of patient affected by myotonic dystrophy type I (MD1), for whom cardiac complications represent one of the primary causes of premature death. In particular there is a high incidence of sudden death, ranging from 2 to 30% of cases, so far principally related to the development of conduction blocks.
Receives: Procedure: Electrophysiological study; Device: pacemaker , implantable cardiac defibrillator or loop-recorder implant

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Incidence of major cardiac events (sudden death)

    To assess the 2-year cumulative incidence of sudden death in patients affected by Myotonic dystrophy type 1.

    Measured: 2 years

  2. Resuscitated cardiac arrest

    To evaluate the value of noninvasive and invasive findings as predictive factors for resuscitated cardiac arrest.

    Measured: 2 years

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted8 Aug 2005 (estimated)
  2. Study startJan 2003
  3. Primary completionDec 2009
  4. Study completionDec 2010

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Diagnosis
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
537 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00127582
Sponsor's protocol ID
GUP02067
Status last verified
Mar 2026
First submitted
4 Aug 2005
Last updated
19 Mar 2026
Results posted
No

Publications

  • Pelargonio G, Dello Russo A, Sanna T, De Martino G, Bellocci F. Myotonic dystrophy and the heart. Heart. 2002 Dec;88(6):665-70. doi: 10.1136/heart.88.6.665. No abstract available.

    PubMed 12433913
  • Dello Russo A, Mangiola F, Della Bella P, Nigro G, Melacini P, Bongiorni MG, Tondo C, Calo L, Messano L, Pace M, Pelargonio G, Casella M, Sanna T, Silvestri G, Modoni A, Zachara E, Moltrasio M, Morandi L, Nigro G, Politano L, Palladino A, Bellocci F. Risk of arrhythmias in myotonic dystrophy: trial design of the RAMYD study. J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown). 2009 Jan;10(1):51-8. doi: 10.2459/jcm.0b013e328319bd2c.

    PubMed 19708226

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Electrophysiological study and pacemaker , implantable cardiac defibrillator or loop-recorder implant in people with Myotonic Dystrophy and Sudden Cardiac Death, run by Catholic University of the Sacred Heart at 1 site in Italy.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 9 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 19 Mar 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Italy. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Incidence of major cardiac events (sudden death) (time frame: 2 years). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00127582, which also lists 2 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 19 Mar 2026.

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