Asahi Kasei company Zoll has announced the enrolment of the first patient in a study of SuperSaturated Oxygen (SSO₂) Therapy for heart failure.

This SuperSaturated Oxygen Comprehensive Observational Registry (SSCORE) prospective study aims to provide additional evidence on the efficacy of the therapy in reducing heart failure and mortality rates in patients with left anterior descending ST-elevation myocardial infarction (LAD STEMI) heart attacks.

The Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital is the first to enrol a patient in the SSCORE study, reflecting its early adoption of the innovative SSO₂ Therapy.

This therapy is the only US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved treatment shown to significantly reduce cardiac muscle damage in patients with heart attack following coronary angioplasty with stenting.

Patients with LAD STEMI, commonly known as widow makers, face higher mortality rates than those with other types of heart attacks.

SSO₂ Therapy, administered as an adjunct to traditional stenting within six hours of the onset of chest pain, infuses high levels of oxygen directly into the damaged heart muscle post-angioplasty.

Zoll TherOₓ general manager Matt Rochner said: “SSO₂ Therapy has the potential to not only improve patient outcomes but also reduce the long-term costs of managing heart failure, a significant healthcare challenge.

“Our partnership with the Minneapolis Heart Institute and Allina Health allows us to advance this cutting-edge technology by collecting more evidence-based clinical and economic data, positioning SSO₂ Therapy to become the standard of care for LAD STEMI patients.”

The SSCORE registry will also gather data on the potential reduction in overall healthcare costs by preventing heart failure compared to lifelong palliative treatments.

The therapy's ability to minimise infarct size, a crucial predictor of future health outcomes such as rehospitalisation and heart failure development, has been supported by multiple clinical trials.

In July 2023, Zoll entered an exclusive distribution agreement with BrainCool for the BrainCool System/IQool System and the IQool System Pads in the US and major European markets.