Study Status: Recruiting
Recruit Status: Recruiting
Study Type: Interventional
Official Title: Left Cardiac Sympathetic Denervation (LCSD) for Cardiomyopathy Feasibility Pilot Study
Brief Summary: A randomized controlled trial to test the potential safety and efficacy of LCSD in patients with heart failure due to non-ischemic and ischemic cardiomyopathy at the University of Cape Town. Left Cardiac Sympathetic Denervation (LCSD) is a surgical intervention that modulates the autonomic innervation of the cardiac system. This is important because: a] sympathetic and parasympathetic tone has a profound effect on the threshold for ventricular tachyarrhythmias-the main cause of sudden cardiac death in this population; and b] autonomic dysfunction (which is characterized by an imbalance between sympathetic and parasympathetic activation), plays an important detrimental role in the pathophysiology and progression of heart failure.