A TEAM of researchers in Southampton has been awarded more than £1.5m to slash the number of deaths from cardiac arrests.

Their study aims to identify patients that would benefit from having an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).

These are fitted under the skin in the chest and can treat cardiac arrest as well as stop abnormal heart rhythms with an electric shock to the heart.

The trial, which is led by Dr Andrew Flett and Professor Nick Curzen from University Hospital Southampton, is being funded by £1.8m from the British Heart Foundation.

Researchers from 35 UK hospitals will recruit more than 2,500 patients with heart scarring and non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy (NCM).

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A common cause of heart failure, NCM is when there is no narrowing of the coronary putting some patients at higher risk of sudden cardiac death due to dangerous, very fast heartbeats.

The study is being coordinated by the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit.

Consultant cardiologist Dr Flett explained how a previous trial showed most patients with NICM and an implantable defibrillator will never benefit from it.

“This also needs to be balanced against the risk of complications from an ICD, and so we want to find a better way to assess which patients will truly benefit from one of these devices before it is fitted.”

“Evidence suggests that it is actually scar tissue within the heart that causes abnormal heart rhythms, and we believe this could be a better measure of the risk of sudden cardiac death for a patient and so will identify patients most likely to need an ICD.”

The British trial will recruit patients where an MRI scan has detected the presence of scar tissue in the heart.

They will then be randomly allocated to one of two trial arms, with half being fitted with an implantable defibrillator.

Opening next year, the study will also involve patients who do not have scar tissue who will therefore be treated according to the guidelines.

Senior Trial Manager Zina Eminton from Southampton Clinical Trials Unit added: “If we find there is a difference in mortality, it will mean that all patients with NICM should have a cardiac MRI scan to determine whether they have scar tissue on the heart, and those that do would be offered an ICD.”

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