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Arrhythmias, CardiacRISTANCT00627263

Stress Reduction to Reduce Risk for Arrhythmia in ICD Patients (The RISTA Study)

A study testing Stress reduction treatment (SRT) program in people with Arrhythmias, Cardiac, run by Yale University at 1 site in United States.

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

An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a small device that is implanted in the chest and uses electrical shocks to control arrhythmias, which are abnormal heart rhythms. Arrhythmias can be caused by many factors, including stress and anger. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 21 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Arrhythmias, Cardiac
What is being tested?
Stress reduction treatment (SRT) program
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
314 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Jan 2008to Dec 2012
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 21 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Receiving an ICD or currently have an ICD and have recieved appropriated ICD shock therapy in the 6 months before study entry
  • Ischemic cardiomyopathy or non-ischemic (dilated) cardiomyopathy
  • Fluent in spoken and written English
  • Able to participate in the SRT program

Who cannot join

  • Unable to comply with the study or participate in SRT treatment, if assigned
  • Incapacitating illness (e.g., stage IV congestive heart failure) that would interfere with study participation
  • Life expectancy of less than 2 years (e.g., due to metastatic cancer)
  • Uncommon etiologies of arrhythmia (e.g., long QT syndrome, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Brugada syndrome)
  • Cognitive impairment, based on Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE) and educational level. If education level is less than 8th grade, then people with an MMSE score of less than 17 will not be enrolled; if education level is greater than 8th grade, then people with an MMSE score of less than 24 will not be enrolled.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Yale University Medical School

    New Haven, Connecticut, 06520

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Reducing Vulnerability to ICD Shock Treated Ventricular Arrhythmias

An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a small device that is implanted in the chest and uses electrical shocks to control arrhythmias, which are abnormal heart rhythms. Arrhythmias can be caused by many factors, including stress and anger. This study will evaluate the use of a stress reduction treatment (SRT) program aimed at reducing the occurrence of arrhythmias that require treatment with an ICD shock.

Read the detailed description

An ICD is a device designed to quickly detect a life-threatening, rapid heartbeat. Through a process called defibrillation, the ICD tries to convert an abnormal heart rhythm back to normal by delivering an electrical shock to the heart. The ICD continuously monitors heartbeats to ensure that they are normal, and it only delivers a shock to the heart when it senses a life-threatening arrhythmia. Because of the recent funding approval by Medicaid, it is now estimated that more than 500,000 people will receive ICDs annually. Although ICDs are life-saving medical devices, some people may experience anxiety, depression, and impaired quality of life as a result of the repeated ICD shocks. Additionally, increased mental and emotional stress and anger may increase the likelihood of experiencing more arrhythmias requiring an ICD shock. SRT programs that encourage people to manage their emotions may decrease the frequency of arrhythmias. Furthermore, SRT programs have been shown to be successful at reducing other stress-related heart conditions. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an SRT program at reducing the incidence of ICD shock-treated arrhythmias among people with newly implanted ICDs.

This study will enroll people who have recently received an ICD. Initially, participants will complete questionnaires about mood and attitudes. Next, at a baseline study visit, participants will complete a mental stress exercise in which they will perform math problems and describe an experience that made them angry. During this exercise, participants will undergo blood pressure measurements, blood collection, and an electrocardiogram (EKG) to measure electrical activity of the heart. Participants will also wear a monitor for 24 hours after the study visit to record heart activity. Participants will then be randomly assigned to either take part in the SRT group and receive usual care or only receive usual care. For 10 weeks, participants in the SRT group will attend 8 group sessions that will focus on learning and applying stress reduction techniques to everyday living. All participants will attend a 3-month follow-up visit for repeat baseline testing. At Months 6, 12, and 24, participants will complete questionnaires during routine doctor's visits or by mail.

Being tested
Stress reduction treatment (SRT) program
Keywords
ICD, Cardiac Arrhythmia, Arrhythmia, Stress, Anger
Medical subject headings
Arrhythmias, Cardiac

What participants receive

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

  • Stress reduction treatment (SRT) programBehavioural

    The SRT program is a cognitive behavioral program that consists of 8 group sessions over a period of 10 weeks.

Study groups in NCT00627263
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
1No interventionParticipants will receive the usual cardiologic care for ICD patients provided by their medical team.
2ExperimentalIn addition to the usual cardiologic care for ICD patients provided by the participants medical team, those randomized to Intervention will receive the stress reduction treatment (SRT) program (see below).
Receives: Behavioral: Stress reduction treatment (SRT) program

What is being measured

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

  1. ICD shock-treated ventricular arrhythmia event-free survival

    The occurrence of ICD shock treated ventricular arrhythmia

    Measured: Measured at Month 24

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Laboratory stress-provoked arrhythmogenic changes in the heart rhythm

    Arrhythmogenic changes in the heart rhythm during laboratory mental stress

    Measured: Measured at Baseline and Month 6

  2. 24-hour heart rate variability

    Heart rate variability on 24 hour holter monitoring

    Measured: Measured at Baseline and Month 6

  3. Quality of life

    SF-36 assessment

    Measured: Measured at Month 24

Timeline

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

  1. First posted3 Mar 2008 (estimated)
  2. Study startJan 2008
  3. Primary completionDec 2012
  4. Study completionDec 2012

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
Prevention
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
314 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00627263
Sponsor's protocol ID
0708003000
Other IDs
R01HL084438
Acronym
RISTA
Status last verified
Jan 2018
First submitted
28 Feb 2008
Last updated
17 Jan 2018
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Publications

  • Donahue RG, Lampert R, Dornelas E, Clemow L, Burg MM; RISTA Investigators. Rationale and design of a randomized clinical trial comparing stress reduction treatment to usual cardiac care: the Reducing Vulnerability to Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Shock-Treated Ventricular Arrhythmias (RISTA) trial. Psychosom Med. 2010 Feb;72(2):172-7. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0b013e3181c932d4. Epub 2009 Dec 22.

    PubMed 20028832

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Stress reduction treatment (SRT) program in people with Arrhythmias, Cardiac, run by Yale University at 1 site in United States.

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 4 inclusion and 5 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 17 Jan 2018. 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 United States. 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?

ICD shock-treated ventricular arrhythmia event-free survival (time frame: Measured at Month 24). 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 NCT00627263, which also lists 1 linked publication.

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 17 Jan 2018.

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