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Defibrillators, ImplantableNCT03271619

Electrical Safety of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators

An observational study of Defibrillators, Implantable and Cardiac Arrest, run by University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust at 1 site in United Kingdom.

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

Patients at risk of developing life-threatening heart rhythms may require the implantation of a small device called a cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), which constantly monitors the heart rhythm and delivers an electrical shock to the heart when indicated, in order to return the heart back to a normal rhythm. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Any age
Conditions the study is for
Defibrillators, Implantable, Cardiac Arrest
What is being tested?
Surface current measurement
Type of treatment
Injection or infusion
How many people
25 participants
Where
1 siteUnited Kingdom
Study dates
Feb 2014to Jan 2018
Phase
Observational
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 Any age
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Study population: Patients with implanted defibrillators (ICDs) undergoing defibrillation testing.

Who may be able to join

  • Patients with implanted defibrillators (ICDs) undergoing defibrillation testing
  • Patients undergoing ICD implantation that requires a defibrillation test at the end of the implantation.

Who cannot join

  • Enrolment in other ICD-related studies
  • Patients <18 yrs age

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United Kingdom1 site
  • University Hospital Southampton

    Southampton, Hampshire, SO16 6YD

Other trials in United Kingdom

About this study

Official title: Electrical Safety of Rescuers in Contact With Patients During Implanted Cardioverter Defibrillator Discharge

Patients at risk of developing life-threatening heart rhythms may require the implantation of a small device called a cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), which constantly monitors the heart rhythm and delivers an electrical shock to the heart when indicated, in order to return the heart back to a normal rhythm. Many thousands of these devices have been implanted and are electrically active in patients who collapse and need resuscitation.

When a patient with an ICD collapses, the device may discharge without warning while a rescuer is performing external chest compressions (cardiac massage). Conventional ICDs placed below the left collar bone typically deliver 35-50 J energy when they discharge, but newer ICDs placed under the skin (S-ICD) alongside the breastbone deliver a larger energy when discharging; typically 50-80J energy.

Read more

Rescuers performing external chest compressions on a patient during conventional ICD discharge have reported the sensation of a painful electrical shock and permanent nerve damage. In these situations, rescuers appear to have been exposed to electrical current from the ICD considerably in excess of that which is considered a safe threshold.

Studies of surface current resulting from discharge of conventional ICDs have been reported in excess of 100 mA which is far in excess of the safe 1 mA limit, and puts the rescuer at considerable risk of tissue damage and possible dangerous heart rhythms. The newer S-ICDs deliver approximately 50% more energy and have the potential to result in exposure of a rescuer to even higher currents.

With increasing numbers of the S-ICDs being implanted, and the inevitability that rescuers will soon find themselves exposed to leakage current from these devices, there is a need to examine the leakage currents arising from these devices and assess any subsequent risk to a rescuer performing external chest compressions.

Read the detailed description

Rationale for Study:

When patients undergo elective implantation of an ICD, the device is tested by inducing ventricular fibrillation (VF) in the patient and allowing the ICD to sense, charge and discharge in an attempt to shock the patient back into a normal rhythm. This provides a controlled, elective situation in which to measure the cutaneous current on the patient's skin which is the current to which a rescuer could potentially be exposed.

By understanding the leakage currents from these devices, the investigators will be able to better understand the safety of rescuers in contact with patients fitted with an ICD and make specific recommendations to enable to safe undertaking of uninterrupted external chest compressions while the ICD may be discharging.

STUDY OBJECTIVES

Primary Objective:

To measure cutaneous leakage current on the chest wall during conventional and S-ICD discharge.

Secondary Objectives:

To make recommendations based on this data regarding the safety of rescuers in contact with a patient during ICD discharge.

ENDPOINTS

Primary Endpoint:

Maximum cutaneous current measured at multiple sites on the chest wall during ICD discharge.

STUDY DESIGN This is a prospective cohort study, aiming to study sequential patients undergoing elective ICD implantation and testing over a 12 month period at University Hospital Southampton.

The patient will undergo elective ICD implantation according to normal protocol. There will be no change in their treatment. After induction of general anaesthesia, an array of small self-adhesive electrodes (similar to ECG 'dots') will be placed on the patient's chest wall, and connected to a multichannel recording device.

After implantation of the ICD, the device will be tested as per normal protocol. VF is induced in the patient. The ICD senses this arrhythmia, charges and immediately delivers a shock to the myocardium. As this shock is delivered, the investigators will record the current reaching the surface electrode array using the multichannel recorder. Most patients only require one shock as defibrillation rates with ICDs are >90%. If a second shock is required, the ICD will charge automatically and discharge once again. If this occurs, the investigators will also measure the cutaneous current at this second, higher energy level. The study is then concluded. Any subsequent shocks are delivered through external paddles and the investigators would not require any data from this stage of the procedure.

STUDY POPULATION Number of Participants The investigators aim to assess 20 patients undergoing conventional ICD implantation and a further 20 patients undergoing S-ICD implantation.

Being tested
Surface current measurement
Keywords
Safety Issues
Medical subject headings
Heart Arrest

What participants receive

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

  • Surface current measurementOther

    Measurement of surface current between electrodes placed on the chest wall during defibrillation

Study groups in NCT03271619
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Transvenous ICDPatients with a transvenous ICD undergoing defibrillation testing.
Receives: Other: Surface current measurement
Subcutaneous ICDPatients with a subcutaneous ICD undergoing defibrillation testing.
Receives: Other: Surface current measurement

What is being measured

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

  1. Surface current during defibrillation

    To measure cutaneous leakage current on the chest wall during conventional and S-ICD discharge.

    Measured: Approximately 10 mSec as the ICD discharges (i.e. at the time of testing)

Timeline

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

  1. First posted5 Sep 2017
  2. Study startFeb 2014
  3. Primary completionJan 2018
  4. Study completionJan 2018

Resources

More details

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

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
25 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03271619
Sponsor's protocol ID
13/SC/0427
Status last verified
Jan 2018
First submitted
29 Aug 2017
Last updated
11 Jan 2018
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Undecided: Please contact researchers directly

Publications

  • Willcox ME, Prutkin JM, Bardy GH. Recent developments in the subcutaneous ICD. Trends Cardiovasc Med. 2016 Aug;26(6):526-35. doi: 10.1016/j.tcm.2016.03.004. Epub 2016 Mar 15.

    PubMed 27079889
  • Chue CD, Kwok CS, Wong CW, Patwala A, Barker D, Zaidi A, Mamas MA, Cunnington C, Ahmed FZ. Efficacy and safety of the subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator: a systematic review. Heart. 2017 Sep;103(17):1315-1322. doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2016-310852. Epub 2017 Jul 7.

    PubMed 28687562
  • Perkins GD, Handley AJ, Koster RW, Castren M, Smyth MA, Olasveengen T, Monsieurs KG, Raffay V, Grasner JT, Wenzel V, Ristagno G, Soar J; Adult basic life support and automated external defibrillation section Collaborators. European Resuscitation Council Guidelines for Resuscitation 2015: Section 2. Adult basic life support and automated external defibrillation. Resuscitation. 2015 Oct;95:81-99. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2015.07.015. Epub 2015 Oct 15. No abstract available.

    PubMed 26477420
  • Clements PA. Hazards of performing chest compressions in collapsed patients with internal cardioverter defibrillators. Emerg Med J. 2003 Jul;20(4):379-80. doi: 10.1136/emj.20.4.379. No abstract available.

    PubMed 12835365
  • Stockwell B, Bellis G, Morton G, Chung K, Merton WL, Andrews N, Smith GB. Electrical injury during "hands on" defibrillation-A potential risk of internal cardioverter defibrillators? Resuscitation. 2009 Jul;80(7):832-4. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2009.04.010. Epub 2009 May 14.

    PubMed 19446388
  • Niwano S, Kojima J, Inuo K, Saito J, Kashiwa T, Suyama M, Toyoshima T, Aizawa Y, Izumi T. Measurement of body surface energy leakage of defibrillation shock by an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol. 2002 Aug;25(8):1212-8. doi: 10.1046/j.1460-9592.2002.01212.x.

    PubMed 12358172

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Defibrillators, Implantable and Cardiac Arrest, run by University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust at 1 site in United Kingdom.

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 2 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 11 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 Kingdom. 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?

Surface current during defibrillation (time frame: Approximately 10 mSec as the ICD discharges (i.e. at the time of testing)). 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 NCT03271619, which also lists 6 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 11 Jan 2018.

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