Mayo Clinic to Participate in a Nationwide Study Examining an Investigational Treatment for Heart Disease

Monday, March 27, 2006

ROCHESTER, MINN. — Mayo Clinic seeks adults who are age 50 or older and have had a heart attack for a research study called Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT). The purpose of this research study is to test the effectiveness and safety of chelation therapy, an investigational treatment for people with heart disease. The study, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, is the largest of its kind. Almost 2,000 people at more than 100 medical institutions across the country will take part in the study.

Currently, 13 million Americans have heart disease. It is the leading cause of death in the United States, and in Minnesota, it claims the lives of 8,602 of people every year.

Chelation therapy (pronounced key-LAY-shun) is a process in which a synthetic or man-made amino acid called EDTA (ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid) is delivered intravenously. EDTA binds with molecules, such as metals or minerals, and holds them tightly so that they can be removed from the body. Some people are already considering chelation therapy to treat their heart disease, despite the fact that previous studies were too small to be conclusive. However, this study is 20 times larger than previous studies and is designed to find out if chelation therapy and/or high-dose vitamin therapy is a safe and effective treatment option for people with heart disease.

"It is important for people with heart disease to know whether chelation therapy should be added to the list of proven treatments for heart disease," says Gerald Gau, M.D., a Mayo Clinic cardiologist and lead research for the study. "This study will help us definitively answer that critical question."

There is no cost to participate in the study and participants will be closely monitored to ensure they receive the optimal standard of care for their heart disease, such as vitamin supplements and advice on lifestyle and diet. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive: either chelation therapy or placebo (saline) solution and either high-dose vitamin therapy or placebo pills. All participants will also receive low-dose vitamins. "I don't want to leave any stone unturned as we look for ways to address heart disease," said Dr. Gau. "And I don't think patients living with heart disease want us to either."

For more information or if you would like to participate in this important research study, please call the study hotline (507) 255-7454.

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