Neural Cardiac Therapy for Heart Failure Study (NECTAR-HF)

The objectives of this study are to assess the impact of right vagal nerve stimulation on left ventricular remodeling, functional capacity, quality of life, and other measures in heart failure patients over a 6-month period. In addition, the study will assess the safety of the NECTAR-HF study system over an 18-month period.

Inclusion criteria

• Age 18 or above, and of legal age to give informed consent specific to national laws
• Willing and capable of providing informed consent
• Capable of participating in all testing associated with this clinical investigation
• Stable symptomatic heart failure NYHA class II-III
• Left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction equal or smaller than 35 %
• Left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD) of 5.5 cm or greater
• Prescribed to optimal pharmacologic therapy

Exclusion criteria

• QRS larger than 130 ms
• Patients who have been hospitalized for heart failure and who required the use of HF IV therapy within 30 days before enrollment
• Patients unable to tolerate anesthesia required for implant
• Patients with unstable angina, myocardial infarction, PTCA, coronary artery bypass graft, cerebral vascular accident, or transient ischemic attack within previous 90 days before enrollment
• Patients whose primary cause of heart failure is mitral or aortic valve disease, with a severe classification
• Patients with persistent or permanent atrial fibrillation within 90 days prior to enrollment
• Pacemaker indicated patients
• Patients whose heart failure is due to congenital heart disease
• Patients who have started treatment for sleep apnea or sleep disordered breathing with therapies to maintain airway patency (e.g., CPAP, Bi-PAP,APAP) with or without oxygen supplementation within the previous 6 months prior to enrollment
• Patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy or infiltrative cardiomyopathy (e.g. amyloidosis, sarcoidosis)
• Patients with documented chronic obstructive lung disease
• Patients on or indicated for renal dialysis
• Type 1 diabetic patients
• Type 2 diabetic patients that have been treated with insulin for more than 5 years prior to enrollment
• Patients with a life expectancy of less than 12 months per physician judgment
• Patients involved in any concurrent clinical investigation
• Women of childbearing potential who are or might be pregnant at the time of the study or breastfeeding
• Patients with a prior cardiac transplant or expecting a heart transplant operation within the next 12 months
• Patients with a prior vagotomy
• Patients with prior or existing vagal nerve stimulation treatment
• Patients implanted with any active implantable medical device other than a left sided single or dual chamber implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) with bipolar sensing, or a left sided CRT device with each sensing channel programmed to either bipolar sensing or no sensing. All CRT patients must have had CRT for at least 1 year prior to enrollment. The total number of CRT patients will not exceed 30
• Patients with locally implanted semi-/permanent devices such as vascular catheters, etc. that would interfere with the NECTAR-HF study system
• Patients with previously implanted devices on the right side that became infected before removal
• Patients with previous neck surgery and resultant scar formation that interferes with the ability to implant the study system on the right side of the neck (Thyroid/parathyroid, carotid artery etc)
• Patients with known recurrent nerve paralysis
• Patients who have undergone radiotherapy for thyroid disease/cancer
• Patients who have existing or prior tracheotomy
• Patients with severe vertebral cervical disease and limited mobility in the neck; includes those that frequently wear a brace
• Patients with carotid murmur/vascular bruit/carotid artery lesion
• Patients with known/suspected vascular malformation in carotid/vertebral circulatory bed
• Patients who are likely to need an MRI of the neck area because of previous medical conditions