Ripple Mapping Guided Early Ventricular Tachycardia Ablation
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Ripple Mapping Guided Early Ventricular Tachycardia Ablation: A Multi-Centre Prospective Clinical Trial (Ripple VT-1).
IRAS ID
253945
Contact name
Prapa Kanagaratnam
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Ventricular Tachycardia (VT) is an abnormal heart rhythm that can occur in patients who have suffered a heart attack. Following a heart attack, areas of heart muscle die and are replaced by scar. Within the scar, strands of surviving heart muscle cause these fast and dangerous heart rhythms.
Patients with VT, or thought to be at risk of VT, are usually treated with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). This is a special kind of pacemaker which monitors the heart all the time. If the patient develops VT, the ICD will deliver an electrical shock to save the patient's life. These shocks are lifesaving but painful and distressing.
For patients who are receiving shocks, we are able to perform a minimally invasive procedure known as catheter VT ablation. During this procedure, the electrical signals that control the heart rhythm are recorded and displayed for doctors to interpret. The strands of heart muscle in the scar that are responsible for VT can be identified and eliminated by application of radiofrequency energy (ablation). If successful, the patient will have no more shocks from the ICD.
Catheter VT ablation is technically challenging and, at present, successful in about 60% of patients. Ripple Mapping software, developed at Imperial College, makes the procedure easier for doctors and we believe will be better at identifying the strands of muscle in scar causing VT. We have already shown improvements in other types of heart rhythm disturbances.
In this study, we want to use Ripple Mapping to perform catheter VT ablation in order to prevent patients from having future ICD shocks or VT event. We want other centres to use Ripple Mapping to perform catheter VT ablation without our support too.
REC name
London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/0262
Date of REC Opinion
8 Mar 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion