# SCD-HeFT

Study · id `cardio:scd-heft` · Cardiovascular Atlas · release `73130c34862e2d06` (public)

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Also called: Sudden Cardiac Death in Heart Failure Trial

Browse, condition area: Heart rhythm problems  

## In plain language

A randomized trial in 2521 people with heart failure (New York Heart Association class II or III, ejection fraction 35% or less). All received usual heart failure care, plus placebo, the drug amiodarone, or an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). After a median of 45.5 months, fewer people had died in the ICD group (22%) than in the placebo group (29%). The amiodarone group (28%) had a similar risk of death to the placebo group.

## Technical summary

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00000609: a phase 3 randomized treatment study with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute as lead sponsor, status completed, start 1997-05 (the registry gives no date type) and completion 2005-04 (actual). The record lists no locations, no enrollment count and no results; the 2521 randomized patients come from the abstract of the 2005 report (read only as a PubMed abstract). PubMed links an erratum published in May 2005 that was not read. The study's amiodarone and ICD results are on the claim; no structured findings are recorded here.

## Key facts

- Design: Randomized, three-group trial. Conventional therapy plus placebo, conventional therapy plus amiodarone, or conventional therapy plus a conservatively programmed, shock-only, single-lead ICD; placebo and amiodarone were double-blind (abstract). The registry gives allocation randomized and primary purpose treatment.
- Phase: Phase 3
- Enrolled: 2521 patients (randomized count; Amiodarone or an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator for congestive heart failure, snapshot `cardio:pubmed-15659722-2026-10-15`, retrieved 2026-10-15)
- Started: 1997-05 (Sudden Cardiac Death in Heart Failure Trial (SCD-HeFT), snapshot `cardio:ctgov-nct00000609-2026-10-15`, retrieved 2026-10-15)
- Primary completion: Not reported
- Completion: 2005-04 (actual) (Sudden Cardiac Death in Heart Failure Trial (SCD-HeFT), snapshot `cardio:ctgov-nct00000609-2026-10-15`, retrieved 2026-10-15)
- Countries: Not reported
- Care setting: Not reported
- Registry status: "COMPLETED" (U.S. National Library of Medicine (ClinicalTrials.gov), snapshot `cardio:ctgov-nct00000609-2026-10-15`, retrieved 2026-10-15)

## Connected pages

- Tests an ICD against placebo and amiodarone: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) (`cardio:implantable-cardioverter-defibrillator`)
- Lists heart failure as a condition: Heart failure (`cardio:heart-failure`)
- Primary end point: Death from any cause (`core:outcome-death-any-cause`)
- Lead sponsor on the registry record: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (`cardio:nhlbi`)

## Provenance

Content hash: cf9fb895f6b869234eb02d833e59e59437f981797825fe2f9b359a17a5416006
Last substantive edit: 2026-10-15
Evidence last checked: 2026-10-15