Crystal Run physician heads cardiac clinical trial

Middletown — Dr. Margot Vloka, a clinical electrophysiologist in New York’s Hudson Valley, is participating in a clinical trial, about implantable defibrillators, that is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. The goal of the trial is to learn whether a non-invasive test can identify patients who would benefit from an implantable defibrillator, thereby avoiding unnecessary implants. An implantable defibrillator is an electronic device, surgically placed in a patient, which recognizes certain types of abnormal, life-threatening heart rhythms, and corrects them by applying a brief electric current. “Some patients with weakened heart muscle are at increased risk of sudden death due to abnormal heart rhythms,” Vloka said. “We are studying whether a non-invasive test will be able to predict when such patients (if any) may not need a defibrillator.” The clinical trial, which is formally called Risk Stratification in Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial II Type Patients, is currently being conducted in 11 medical centers around the country, with a total of 792 patients participating. There is a 14 month enrollment period in the trial, after which patients are followed for an additional four years. To participate in the study, patients must be 21 years, have a weakened heart muscle, and be referred by their cardiologist. For more information about the study, call 703-6999. Vloka is a board-certified cardiologist and board-certified electrophysiologist, who recently joined the cardiology division at Crystal Run Healthcare in Middletown. Before coming to Orange County, she practiced for seven years at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, N.J., and at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. Electrophysiologists are cardiologists who have specialized training in the treatment of electrical system diseases of the heart and heart rhythm disturbances. The abnormalities often present with symptoms of palpitations, dizziness, and loss of consciousness or sudden cardiac death. Among Vloka’s notable accomplishments are several Orange Regional Medical Center firsts in the field of advanced cardiology. She performed the first electrophysiological test in the cardiac catheterization laboratory, and implanted the first cardiac resynchronization therapy implantable cardioverter-defibrillator in a patient. Recntly, Vloka performed the first ablation procedure at the Horton campus, which can eradicate certain heart rhythm disturbances. Crystal Run Healthcare is one of the few non-hospital medical facilities included in the nationwide study. The center employs 135 physicians, and about 700 ancillary healthcare providers, in the Mid-Hudson Valley and lower Catskill regions. For more information, visit www.crystalrunhealthcare.com.