T-wave awaits studies
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Decisions on the net health benefit of Cambridge Heart's HeartWave microvolt T-wave alterans (MTWA) testing system to risk-stratify potential ICD patients must wait on results from three large, ongoing prospective studies - Guidant's ALPHA study, St. Jude's ABCD trial and Medtronic's MASTER trial, according to a recent 1assessment by BlueCross BlueShield Association's Technology Evaluation Center (TEC). CMS opened a national coverage decision on MTWA testing July 8 and expects to issue a proposed decision memo Jan. 7 (2"The Gray Sheet" Aug. 29, 2005, p. 5)...