Medtronic says a pair of studies show genetic link to sudden cardiac death

Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) today said 1st-of-a-kind results from a pair of independent clinical trials discovered a gene linked to abnormal heart rhythms that can lead to sudden cardiac death.

Fridley, Minn.-based Medtronic said the studies, Discovery and Oregon SUDS, found a gene associated with SCD in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators. Results were presented over the weekend at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology in London.

The Medtronic-sponsored Discovery trial used ICDs to monitor patients and evaluate whether 7 biomarkers in 3 genes helped predict ventricular tachyarrhythmia and sudden cardiac death, identifying the gene associated with a 50% relative risk increase in  life-threatening arrhythmia, the company said.

Those results  Discovery were echoed by the 12-year Oregon SUDS trial conducted by the Arrhythmia Research Laboratory at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles, Medtronic said.

“The results presented today are part of Medtronic’s efforts to better identify people at risk of SCD and to get them the right life-saving therapy,” tachycardia general manager Dr. Marshall Stanton said in prepared remarks. “Medtronic looks forward to partnering with the larger clinical research community to further our shared understanding of the risk for sudden cardiac death and how to prevent it.”

“This is the first time a gene has been identified using ICD monitoring and then confirmed to be associated with sudden cardiac death in the general population,” added Discovery principal investigator Dr. Heiner Wieneke of the St. Marien-Hospital in Mülheim, Germany. “These findings are a first step to learning more about how to determine better ways to prevent and treat this condition.”

“This research is vital to helping us better understand why some patients are at higher risk of sudden cardiac death, one of the leading causes of death globally,” said Dr. Sumeet Chugh, lead investigator for the Oregon SUDS project. “These findings put us one step closer to understanding the complexities of sudden cardiac death and may, someday, help us identify which patients are at risk.”

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