Varian announced that the first participant has been treated in the RADIATE-VT™ clinical trial (NCT 05765175) at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO.  RADIATE-VT is the first international, multi-center, randomized controlled trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of cardiac radioablation (CRA) compared to catheter ablation for patients with high-risk, refractory ventricular tachycardia (VT). The cardiac radioablation treatments will be planned and delivered with Varian's CRA system.

Ventricular tachycardia is a fast, abnormal heart rate that affects patients' quality of life and may lead to sudden cardiac arrest. Current treatments for ventricular tachycardia include antiarrhythmic medications, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, or invasive catheter ablation procedures, but these treatments are often insufficient in controlling VT and can be associated with significant side effects. The RADIATE-VT trial will evaluate cardiac radioablation as a new therapeutic alternative.

CRA involves precise targeting and accurate delivery of focused radiation beams to the area of the heart where the arrhythmia originates.   The cardiac radioablation treatment planning and delivery process requires close collaboration among electrophysiologists, who specialize in treating cardiac arrhythmias, and radiation oncologists, who specialize in treating cancer and other conditions with radiation therapy.  Varian's CRA system, which received FDA Breakthrough Device designation, is a non-invasive, end-to-end solution designed to facilitate the clinical partnership between these physicians.