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Temple University Hospital Launches New Protocol Designed to Explore the Reduction of Heart Attack Damage

Temple University Hospital recently became the first in the world to participate in a clinical trial to determine if a new treatment regimen - performed during the first crucial moments after a heart attack - can minimize permanent heart damage, potentially reducing a patient's risk of future heart failure or death.

During the procedure, Temple interventional cardiologists (Michael Brown, MD, and Jon George, MD) inserted a balloon into a male heart attack patient's aorta to help ease the stress on his heart as it struggled to keep pumping during the heart attack. As the balloon inflated and deflated, it assisted his heart in delivering more blood to the body as well as to the heart muscle itself - thereby potentially preserving heart muscle that otherwise would be lost. With the balloon in place, doctors then performed an immediate angioplasty to open the blockage that caused the heart attack.

While the intra-aortic balloon pump has been used since the 1970s to assist the heart in pumping the oxygenated blood to the body, this is the first time it is being tested as an intermediate step prior to an emergency angioplasty - which is the standard treatment for heart attack patients.

"This procedure may have the potential to minimize the impact of a heart attack and keep the heart strong," said Interventional Cardiologist Riyaz Bashir, MD, who leads this clinical trial at Temple.

Dr. Bashir reports that the procedure was successfully implemented and the patient is recovering nicely.

Over the next year, Temple will enroll additional patients to participate in the trial. Half the participants will undergo the balloon procedure followed by an emergency angioplasty; and half will receive the standard treatment alone.

Worldwide, the study, called CRISP-AMI (Counterpulsation to Reduce Infarct Size Pre-PCI for Acute Myocardial Infarction), will enroll 300 patients at 30 sites in the United States, Europe, and Australia. It is being sponsored by the manufacturer, Datascope Corp, which is now Maquet Cardiovascular and is based in Fairfield, N.J. Maquet Cardiovascular is the global leader of intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation.

To schedule an appointment with a Temple Heart Center physician, click here or call 1-800-TEMPLE-MED (1-800-836-7536).

Editor's Notes: Dr. Bashir has no financial interest in Datascope Corp. or Maquet Cardiovascular. This study has received the approval of the Temple University Institutional Review Board (#12355).

Date Published: Thursday, June 11, 2009

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