The Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial (CAST)
Objectives:
The Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial sought to
evaluate the efficacy and safety of arrhythmia suppression therapy in patients
with asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic ventricular arrhythmia after myocardial
infarction.
Background:
A significant risk factor for mortality in post-MI
patients is the presence of ventricular premature depolarizations. Although
some anti-arrhythmic drugs, such as acute intravenous and long term beta
blockers, had been shown to reduce mortality, it was unclear if arrhythmia
suppression led to prolonged survival or if other effects contributed to the
decreased mortality. The Cardiac Arrhythmia Pilot Study was initiated in 1982
to assess the feasibility of identifying post-MI patients with ventricular
arrhythmia and whether one or more drugs could be found to effectively and
safely reduce ventricular premature depolarizations. The pilot study evaluated
four active drugs (Encainide, Ethmozine, Flecainide, Imipramine) against
placebo in 500 patients. Based on the results of the pilot study a full scale
trial began enrolling patients in 1987.
Subjects:
CAST was designed as a randomized, double-blind trial.
Patients within 90 days post-MI were first screened for arrhythmia via an
ambulatory electrocardiographic (Holter) recording with a minimum of 18 hours
of data. Eligibility was based on six or more ventricular depolarizations per
hour and an ejection fraction of 0.55 or less. For patients 90 days or more
post-MI, eligibility was based on six or more ventricular depolarizations per
hour and an ejection fraction of 0.40 or less. Patients were not eligible for
the study if they had ventricular arrhythmia causing more severe symptoms
resulting from hemodynamic compromise, any unsustained ventricular tachycardia,
contraindications to any study drug, or other life threatening conditions.
Eligible patients first underwent an open label titration phase to evaluate
effective suppression of arrhythmia. Eligible patients tolerant of the drugs
and achieving a reduction of 80 percent or more in ventricular depolarizations
and 90 percent or more in runs of unsustained ventricular tachycardia were
randomized into the trial. Patients were randomized to receive placebo or
treatment with Encainide, Flecainide, or Moricizine.
Conclusions:
After less than one year of followup the Encainide and
Flecainide arms of the trial were stopped due to increased mortality and
nonfatal cardiac arrests compared to placebo. The protocol was modified and the
study continued as CAST II and compared Moricizine to placebo. The CAST II
study was also stopped early due to excess mortality and nonfatal cardiac
arrests in the Moricizine arm compared to placebo. (NEJM, 1989; 321:406-12,
NEJM, 1992; 327:227-33).
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Study Website |
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Study Documentation |
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Data Distribution Agreement |
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