UK trial aims to pinpoint those at risk of sudden cardiac arrest

Heart patient Phil O’Donoghue is taking part in the study, which is funded with £1.8m from the British Heart Foundation (BHF). Over 2,500 patients are due to be recruited across the UK in the next three years.

Heart failure affects over 900,000 people in the UK, with around 200,000 new cases diagnosed each year at an estimated cost of £2bn to the NHS.

ICDs are small devices that are routinely fitted in the chests of patients with heart failure to stop abnormal rhythms and treat cardiac arrest by delivering an electric shock to the heart.

The study is being led by consultant cardiologists Dr Andrew Flett and Professor Nick Curzen from University Hospital Southampton (UHS) and is co-ordinated by the NIHR Southampton Clinical Trials Unit.

“The current guidelines look at how well the heart is pumping to decide which patients should get a defibrillator,” Dr Flett said in a statement. “But for many patients who go through the procedure of having a defibrillator fitted, they will never actually see the device triggered and may not need it. We therefore want to find a better way to assess which patients will truly benefit from one of these devices.