ABBOTT PARK, Ill., May 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Abbott (NYSE: ABT) today announced a new trial focused on improving the treatment for people simultaneously battling both atrial fibrillation (AFib) and heart failure. The first-of-its-kind trial aims to provide new insights into more effective treatment for patients with AFib and heart failure, a complex combination that has historically presented significant challenges to physicians.
For many patients, cardiovascular disease can be exacerbated by comorbidities – additional problems requiring simultaneous management that make treatment of either condition more challenging. Clinical trials assessing therapies that can be deployed in tandem to better manage cardiovascular comorbidities are also rare. Few companies offer therapies across a clinical care spectrum that allows for the unique trial designs that can best provide physicians the insight they need to change the course of future care decisions.
The new TAP-CHF trial (Evaluating the Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation in Preserved Cardiac Function Heart Failure) aims to discover better management options for patients with AFib and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) – a type of heart failure in which the heart cannot relax and fill with blood effectively prior to pumping. Combined, these conditions can be very difficult for doctors to control as they put increased pressure on the pulmonary arteries, which provide blood flow from the heart to the lungs. For patients, the two conditions increase the risk of stroke, hospitalization or even death. Abbott is a leader in developing medical devices for treating both heart failure and arrhythmias like AFib and is investigating better treatment options for these patients with the goal of yielding better outcomes and improved quality of life.
"Cardiovascular patients often have more than one heart condition. We believe that we can best help those patients live longer and better lives by providing their doctors improved therapy approaches that address the entirety of their heart disease," said Philip Adamson, M.D., chief medical officer for Abbott's heart failure business. "Trials that look at complex heart conditions together promise to offer new insights and will make a tremendous difference in the outcomes of our patients now and into the future."
EVALUATING PATIENTS IN NEW WAYS
The TAP-CHF trial will manage patients in two phases to better help physicians understand the impact of monitoring fluctuations in pulmonary pressure.
