NEJM publishes RESPECT study of Amplatzer PFO Occluder (St.Jude Medical) effect in Stroke Prevention

St. Jude Medical, Inc has announced publication of results from its landmark RESPECT trial in The New England Journal of Medicine. The study results show that device closure using the Amplatzer PFO Occluder is superior to antiplatelet medications or warfarin in preventing recurrent cryptogenic stroke (a stroke from an unknown cause) in patients with a common heart defect called a patent foramen ovale (PFO), as measured in the prespecified per-protocol and as-treated patient cohorts of the trial. Patients in the study had a 51 to 73 percent risk reduction in recurrent strokes when evaluated across prespecified measures.

"Percutaneous Closure of Patent Foramen Ovale in Cryptogenic Embolism"-Bernhard Meier, M.D., Bindu Kalesan, Ph.D., Heinrich P. Mattle, M.D., Ahmed A. Khattab, M.D et al.,for the PC Trial Investigators -N Engl J Med 2013; 368:1083-1091March 21, 2013DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1211716.