Reducing Decompensation Events Utilizing Intracardiac Pressures in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure (HF) (REDUCEhf)

The endpoint for this objective was defined as the cumulative days in hospital for heart failure (HF) expressed as a percentage of hospital free follow-up days during the 12-month randomized period. The relatedness of the events was based on the primary reason for which the subject was originally admitted to the hospital or seen in the emergency department or at an urgent visit, not on the development of new events that occur during hospitalization.

The rate of CV-related events (hospitalizations >24h, hospitalizations <24h with IV therapy, ED visits with IV therapy, and urgent clinic visits with IV therapy) during the 12-month randomized follow-up period was compared between the Chronicle and Control groups.

Death from any cause or heart failure related hospitalization greater than 24 hours during the 12-month randomized period

All-cause events were defined as hospitalizations, hospitalizations <24 hours necessitating intravenous therapy, emergency department visits necessitating intravenous therapy or urgent visits necessitating intravenous therapy.

The definitions of worsened, improved, and unchanged are as follows:

Worsened: Subject dies, is hospitalized for worsening heart failure, permanently discontinues blinded randomized assignment and has worsening heart failure at time of study discontinuation, demonstrates worsening NYHA Class at LOCF, or moderate-marked worsening of global assessment score at LOCF.

Improved: Subject has not worsened, and demonstrates improvement in NYHA class and/or moderate-marked improvement in subject global assessment score.

Unchanged: Subject is neither worsened nor improved.

Percentage of randomized days spent in the intensive care unit for heart failure. Reason for hospitalization was determined by the adverse event adjudication committee.

Randomized days alive outside of the hospital was computed for each subject as the total number of randomized days minus the number of randomized days spent in the hospital for any cause.

Death from any cause during the 12-month randomization period

The rate of change of cardiovascular medications in changes per subject month were computed and compared between treatment groups.

The average daily median estimated pulmonary arterial diastolic pressure (ePAD) was computed for each subject with at least 90 days of ePAD data available and compared between the Treatment and Control arms.

The average daily median estimated pulmonary arterial diastolic pressure (ePAD) was computed for each subject with at least 90 days of ePAD data available and compared between the Control Arm subjects with and without a heart failure related event during the 12-month randomized period.

The outcome is the change in NYHA functional class between the baseline visit and the 12-month follow-up visit. At baseline subjects were required to be NYHA functional class II or III. The outcome will show the percentage of subjects that were functional class II and III at baseline and functional class I, II, III, or IV at the 12-month visit. The percent improvement from baseline is calculated as the percentage of subjects with a lower NYHA functional class at the 12-month visit compared to their NHYA functional class at baseline.

The outcome is the change in distance walked in 6-minutes in meters between the baseline visit and the 12-month follow-up visit. The change in distance walked was calculated within each subject as the distance walked in 6-minutes at the 12-month visit minus the distance walked in 6-minutes at the baseline visit. Positive values indicate an increase in the distance walked in 6-minutes from baseline.

Change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from baseline to the 12-month follow-up visit. eGFR was estimated using the MDRD forumula from the National Kidney Foundation (American Journal of Kidney Diseases 39: S1-299). Change in eGFR was computed as the 12-month eGFR value minus the baseline eGFR value. Positive values indicate an increase in eGFR from baseline and negative values indicate a decrease in eGFR from baseline.

Intracardiac pressure monitoring was deemed successful following defibrillation testing if physiological pressure waveforms were present following defibrillation testing.

The outcome measure is the percentage of subjects implanted with the Chronicle ICD who completed defibrillation testing and had a 10 Joule safety margin

The outcome is the change in the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure® (MNLWHF) questionnaire response from baseline to the 12-month follow-up visit. The MNLWHF questionnaire is a 21 question questionnaire scored from zero (no impact of heart failure) to 5 (severe impact of heart failure). The composite MNLWHF score ranges from 0 (no impact of heart failure) to 105 (severe impact of heart failure). Change in MNLWHF score was computed as the 12-month minus the baseline score.

The rate of spontaneous VT (ventricular tachycardia)/VF (ventricular fibrillation) episodes during the 12-month follow-up period in episodes per subject month was compared between the Treatment Arm and the Control Arm