Neural Cardiac Therapy for Heart Failure Study (NECTAR-HF)
Neural Cardiac Therapy for Heart Failure Study (NECTAR-HF)
The NECTAR-HF feasibility trial is designed to evaluate the application of right vagal nerve
 stimulation in heart failure patients with a New York Heart Association Class III, an
 ejection fraction equal to or less than 35 %, and a narrow QRS duration equal to or less than
 130 ms.
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