Results Released for Landmark Pediatric Surgical Trial Coordinated by NERI

The first randomized surgical intervention trial in pediatric cardiology, a research effort by the NHLBI Pediatric Heart Network, which is coordinated by NERI, was recently completed. The results appear in the May 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. See press release below.

Newer Heart Surgery for Infants Offers First-Year Survival Benefit over Traditional Procedure

Pediatric Heart Network Study Is Largest Clinical Trial of Treatment of Patients with Congenital Heart Disease

Infants born with a severely underdeveloped heart who undergo a newer surgical procedure are more likely to survive their first year and not require a heart transplant than those who have a more traditional surgical procedure, according to a report by researchers supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), which is part of the National Institutes of Health. The study of 549 newborns, however, suggests that after the first year, the two surgical procedures for the relatively rare condition yield similar results.

The Single Ventricle Reconstruction (SVR) Trial is the largest clinical trial to compare treatments for congenital heart disease, and the first North American, multi-center, randomized trial of surgical therapy for congenital heart disease patients. Results are published in the May 27, 2010, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. An editorial accompanies the article.

View the full press release