Providence Park Hospital has enrolled the first Michigan patient in an international clinical trial of a drug for people with acute heart failure. Providence Park is the only hospital in the state taking part in the trial.

The goal of the study is to determine the safety and effectiveness of an investigational drug for the treatment of your acute heart failure. The investigational product is a drug designed to increase the heart’s ability to contract without increasing the heart’s need for oxygen. This is a randomized trial in which patients will receive the investigational drug or a placebo.

This study will enroll approximately 600 patients. The patients will come from Providence Park and about 130 other medical centers in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe.

The experimental drug showed potential promise in a Phase II placebo controlled study of 45 patients that was published in the August 20, 2011 issue of the journal Lancet.

Heart failure is a condition where the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s need. It is a common condition, affecting around 23 million people worldwide. During acute heart failure, the ability of the heart to pump blood from the lung circulation into the peripheral circulation is impaired, typically resulting in severe shortness of breath, among other symptoms.