Cambridge Heart, Inc. (OTCBB: CAMH), a developer of non-invasive diagnostic tests for cardiac disease, today announced that a new study published on-line in the Heart Rhythm Journal confirms the value of Microvolt T-Wave Alternans™ (MTWA) testing for identifying patients at risk of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). The pooled analysis of 2,883 patients shows that MTWA is a statistically significant predictor of SCA in patients whose heart muscle is damaged (ejection fraction less than or equal to 35%), as well as in patients with more preserved cardiac function (ejection fraction > 35%).
Overall, patients with a positive MTWA result were, on an annual basis, nearly nine times more likely to experience sudden cardiac arrest than patients with a negative test. A negative MTWA test result identified a population of patients at very low risk of SCA during the following 24 months, regardless of ejection fraction (EF) (annual event rate 0.9% in patients with EF ≤ 35% and 0.3% with EF > 35%).
"In this pooled analysis of patients without implantable cardioverter defibrillators, MTWA is a powerful predictor of SCA in patients with a broad range of ejection fractions. A negative MTWA test result identifies a cohort of patients with very low risk of sudden death, and a positive MTWA test identifies a patient group at high risk," stated Dr. Antonis Armoundas, senior author of the study. "These findings may have important implications for refining primary prevention ICD treatment algorithms."
"This analysis of almost 3,000 patients is an important contribution to the literature on MTWA," noted Ali Haghighi-Mood, CEO of Cambridge Heart. "The results confirm the test's predictive value and support the clinical utility of MTWA in a broad spectrum of cardiac patients who are considered to be at risk for sudden cardiac arrest."
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