AtriCure Completes Enrollment in Post Approval Study for the Synergy Ablation System

AtriCure Inc. has finished enrolling patients in a post-approval study of its Synergy Ablation system.

The company’s ABLATE trial enrolled a total of 365 patients in 40 hospitals throughout the United States. AtriCure expects to release preliminary data from the study later this year, with a complete report expected to be published in three years.

The ABLATE study evaluates clinical outcomes in patients with non-paroxysmal (persistent or longstanding persistent) forms of atrial fibrillation (Afib) who were treated utilizing the AtriCure Synergy Ablation System to perform the Maze IV procedure. The non-paroxysmal Afib patient group represents about half of the diagnosed patient population and who are extremely challenging to manage with conventional medical therapy or catheter ablation.

“The PAS study is intended to build additional evidence of the safety, efficacy and long-term durability of the Maze IV concomitant treatment for Afib using AtriCure’s proprietary surgical devices,” said Patrick McCarthy, M.D., director of the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (Chicago, Ill.) and lead physician for the trial.

AtriCure claims its Synergy Ablation System is the first and only medical device to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to treat Afib in patients with persistent and long-standing persistent Afib undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting and/or valve replacement or repair.

The initial ABLATE study was completed before AtriCure received premarket approval for the Synergy Ablation System. Study results showed 84 percent of patients free from Afib at six months following an open concomitant Maze IV treatment, and 75 percent of patients free from Afib and off of anti-arrhythmic pharmaceuticals at a mean follow-up of 22 months when assessed by 48-hour Holter monitors. The intent of the ABLATE study is to demonstrate the positive results from the Maze IV treatment used in the original ABLATE study is reproducible and reliable when performed at hospitals across the country.

“We expect the post approval study will provide additional evidence of the benefits of the AtriCure Synergy Ablation System and Maze IV procedure as a treatment for patients suffering from non-paroxysmal Afib,” said Mike Carrel, AtriCure CEO.

More than 2.7 million Americans are living with Afib, a cardiac rhythm disorder that increases in prevalence with age, according to industry statistics. Afib is responsible for nearly 100,000 deaths and adds $26 billion in expenses to the U.S. healthcare system annually. Afib, which affects more than 33.5 million people worldwide, also is associated with a five-fold increased risk of stroke.