The Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support( INTERMACS) is a North American prospective registry established at UAB in 2005 for patients receiving mechanical circulatory support device therapy to treat advanced heart failure. INTERMACS was established as a joint effort of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute( NHLBI), the U. S. Food and Drug Administration( FDA), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services( CMS), clinicians, scientists, and industry representatives, in conjunction with James K. Kirklin, MD, and UAB. Dr. Kirklin is the national principal investigator for INTERMACS, and his research group has received $ 15 million in funding from NHLBI during the past 10 years. Currently, 164 medical centers participate in INTERMACS.
EDUCATION, TRAINING, & RESEARCH
Major outcomes after implant, including death, explant, re-hospitalization, and adverse events, are entered as they occur and at set intervals as part of the defined follow-up schedule. INTERMACS provides contemporary data to demonstrate the continued progress of outcomes, with additional insight into appropriate risk stratification and patient selection. Death, transplant, and explant are the major discrete endpoints recorded. For more information and a list of recent publications, please visit the INTERMACS online at uab. edu / medicine / intermacs
Sub-Groups of INTERMACS:
While INTERMACS has always included durable devices implanted in pediatric patients, PediMACS was developed to focus on capturing data elements unique to pediatric patients. PediMACS evaluated special issues in the pediatric population receiving mechanical circulatory support device( MCSD) therapy, differences in devices available, and the specific pediatric population for whom this therapy may be most effective. For more information on the PediMACS registry, please visit uab. edu / medicine / intermacs / pedimacs
Integral to the original intent of INTERMACS was contemporary alignment with ambulatory patients with advanced heart failure who were not currently using mechanical circulatory support devices. This mission is being fulfilled by the Medical Arm of Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support( MedaMACS) registry, a prospective study of medically managed advanced heart failure patients. MedaMACS will report the nature of optimal contemporary medical therapy for heart failure and provide information on medical outcomes in terms of timed endpoints of mechanical support, transplant, or death through two years of follow-up. Of equal weight will be the determination of functional capacity, quality of life, and satisfaction with therapy.
The components of decision-making for advanced heart failure will be pivotal in moving toward the 21st century goal of patient-centered care with shared decision-making. The MedaMACS registry will provide landmark data from which to refine selection for mechanical circulatory support among the ambulatory heart failure population, where the greatest benefit of mechanical support is anticipated. For more information about the MedaMACS registry, please visit uab. edu / medicine / intermacs / medamacs www. uabmedicine. org 49