July 6, 2010 – A new trial testing a new method of detecting ischemia in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) has received its first patient enrollments. Cambridge Heart Inc. announced today that the first patients have enrolled in the study, which will evaluate if the company’s Microvolt T-Wave Alternans (MTWA) testing can enhance current diagnostic methods for detecting active ischemia in patients with known or suspected CAD.
Ischemia is defined as inadequate blood supply to the coronary arteries, which can lead to myocardial infarction or what is commonly referred to as a heart attack.
“Today, we use MTWA to determine if a patient is at increased risk for potentially fatal arrhythmias, but the test may also have value in detecting underlying coronary artery disease,” said, Dr. Edward Kosinski, M.D., a cardiologist at Cardiology Physicians in Bridgeport, Conn., and the medical director of Connecticut Clinical Research LLC, where the first patients have been enrolled. “This study will help us to determine if MTWA can detect blood flow problems as well as electrical problems in the heart.”
The MTWA-CAD trial is a pilot study expected to enroll up to 200 patients. The company estimates enrollments will be completed by mid-2011.