Moon Township, PA, (February 11, 2013) - The Heritage Valley Heart & Vascular Center announces the closure of the Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis Stenting versus Endarterectomy Trial (ACT I) as of January 18th 2013. This was the second largest multi-center randomized trial to evaluate the relative efficacy of carotid endarterectomy versus stenting in stroke prevention. The ACT 1 Trial began randomization in April 2005. In spite of beginning enrollment in August 2009, over half way through the trial, Heritage Valley Health System finished in the top 14 sites of patients enrolled.

Heritage Valley’s involvement in the ACT 1 Trial complemented their participation in another groundbreaking trial, the Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy versus Stenting Trial (CREST), which completed enrollment on July 14, 2008.  CREST was chosen by the Wall Street Journal as the most important clinical trial in the US in 2011. Heritage Valley ranked 10th out of 117 sites in regards to number of patients enrolled. In both trials, Heritage Valley Health System was the largest enroller in Western Pennsylvania.

“The results of these trials may fundamentally change the approach to stroke prevention in the near future,” said Richard Begg, MD, FACC, FSCAI. “We look forward to further participation in trials like these and continuing our position as a regional leader in stroke research, ” added Jasvinder Sandhu, MD, FACC, co-investigator in the ACT 1 Trial along with Dr. Begg.

Located in eight locations around Southwestern Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, Heritage Valley’s Heart & Vascular Center offers comprehensive cardiac care including diagnostic and interventional cardiology, cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, electrophysiology, VeinCare, vascular surgery, cardiac computed tomography (CT), peripheral vascular services and cardiac rehabilitation services.