Clinical Trials

DUCCS has a long history of successful and memorable collaborations on important trials. DUCCS members continue to work together on exclusive investigator-initiated studies and to partner with sponsors to provide a network of high-quality, high-enrolling sites.

The following trials are currently enrolling or in follow-up:

PRIME-HF is a multi-center, randomized, open-label study of in-hospital initiation of ivabradine following stabilization for acute heart failure versus usual care consideration of outpatient initiation in 450 patients from 50 US sites. Endpoints include assessment of the uptake of ivabradine at 180-days post-discharge as well as quality of life, heart rate, beta-blocker use/dose and clinical outcomes. Dr. John Heitner is the DUCCS Champion for PRIME and we are targeting 15 DUCCS sites.

ST LEUIS (Smartphone Twelve Lead Electrocardiogram Utility in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction) assesses the effectiveness of an iPhone app and device in diagnosing STEMI compared with a standard 12-lead ECG. This is a true DUCCS collaboration, with DUCCS president Dr. Brent Muhlestein as PI and a participant group composed entirely of DUCCS member sites.

TACT2, the second Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy, builds upon the unexpected outcomes of the original TACT. The study hypothesis is that chelation therapy (with EDTA) will prevent recurrent events in patients with diabetes who have sustained an acute MI. DUCCS member Dr. Gervasio (Tony) Lamas is the PI.

GUIDE-IT (Guiding Evidence Based Therapy Using Biomarker Intensified Treatment) Study to compare a strategy of medical therapy titration aimed at achieving a specific natriuretic peptide target (biomarker guided therapy) to usual care in high risk patients with systolic heart failure. Dr. Dave Whellan is the DUCCS Champion.

RAID (Ranolazine Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Trial) Trial  of high-risk  ICD  patients who  will  be  treated  with  ranolazine or placebo in addition to optimal medical therapy. DUCCS faculty liaison Dr. Jim Daubert is the DUCCS Champion and Co-PI. This trial is closed for enrollment.