A more than a decade-long medical trial has opened the way for potentially life-saving treatment options for patients with mild-to-moderate heart conditions. Internationally recognized cardiac expert Flinders University Professor Joseph Selvanayagam, from Adelaide's Heart & Vascular, presented his findings at the European Society of Cardiology Congress (ESC 2026) in Munich on Friday. The breakthrough has also been published in JAMA.
The trial, involving 18 sites across Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom, examined whether a medical device currently used for patients with severe heart conditions could treat a wider range of patients.
An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is a small device placed in the body that can detect and correct dangerous heart rhythms that may otherwise cause sudden cardiac death. ICDs are currently offered only to patients with severely reduced heart function.
Selvanayagam's research investigated another group of patients with mild-to-moderate heart dysfunction; a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF of 36%–50%); and scarring in the heart muscle identified by cardiac MRI. The trial examined whether ICD implantation could reduce sudden cardiac death or serious ventricular arrhythmia in this group of patients.
