The PATH-CHF (Pacing Therapies for Congestive Heart Failure) group announced an early end to their trial testing the benefit of pacemakers for patients with moderate to severe congestive heart failure.
	PATH-CHF is the first study of patients with congestive heart failure, greatly reduced exercise capacity, severely impaired quality of life and high hospitalization rates that has shown large improvements in those areas after pacemaker implantat. The pacemaker provides coordinated beating of the heart's chambers.
	Pacemaker software was developed specifically for this trial by the manufacturer, who sponsored the trial. There was immediate improvement of symptoms, especially in longer exercise time - by more than 20% of the pre-pacemaker time. Of the 42 patients implanted with a pacemaker, only one patient died from progressive heart failure over an average follow-up of 12 months.
	The main researcher for the trial is Dr. Angelo Auricchio from the University Hospital Magdeburg in Germany, who enrolled the first patient into the study in August of 1995. Six other European University hospitals were in the study.
	According to Dr. Auricchio, almost all patients in the study achieved impressive improvement of well-being and exercise capacity. Several were scheduled for heart transplant due to severe symptoms but after implant, they were removed from the transplant list due to improved condition.
	Despite improvements in drug treatment, heart failure is one of the leading causes of hospitalization and death in Europe and the USA. The costs involved in treating CHF in the USA are equal to the cost of treating cancer and heart attack *combined*. The final results of the PATH-CHF study have been submitted for publication and will be presented at the annual meeting of the North American Society for Pacing and Electrophysiology (NASPE) in Toronto, May 12 - 15, 1999.

Title: Multisite Pacing: A New Hope for Patients with Congestive Heart Failure 
Dr. Auricchio can be contacted at:
Dr. Angelo Auricchio
Department of Cardiology Leipzigerstr
44 University Hospital
Magdeburg, Germany
FAX: + 49 391 67 15 211