Evaluation Study of Congestive Heart Failure and Pulmonary Artery Catheterization Effectiveness (ESCAPE)

The purpose of1b.is program is to conduct a randomized trial comparing the efficacy of Pulmonary Artery Catherization (PAC)-directed treatment strategy to a treatment strategy without the use of PAC on morbidity and mortality in: patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class IV Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). The hypothesis being tested is that for patients admitted with persistent symptoms of CHF at rest or with minimal exertion, therapy tailored using hemodynamic monitoring results in a better clinical outcome than current standard therapy without invasive monitoring. The information provided by this multicenter collaborative clinical trial may provide a rational basis for safe an effective therapy for patients with severe CHF. Furthermore, the results may have significant health care cost implications.