His-pacing and AV-node Ablation vs. Pulmonary Vein Isolation for Atrial Fibrillation
Atrial FibrillationLeft Atrial DilatationObjective To investigate if conduction system pacing ((CSP) i.e. atrioventricular node ablation + His bundle pacing or Left Bundle Branch pacing) is as good as (or better than) atrial fibrillation ablation with pulmonary vein isolation for older patients (70-85yrs) with symptomatic atrial fibrillation and at least moderately dilated left atrium. Patient population: 90 patients aged 70-85 years with atrial fibrillation, referred to either AV node ablation or pulmonary vein isolation. Primary endpoint: Improvement in health-related quality of life as measured by the physical component summary (PCS) of the well-validated SF-36 form, at one year after AV node ablation + CSP or AF ablation. Secondary endpoints: Physical performance measured by 6-minute walk test, biochemical markers of heart failure (NT-ProBNP), frequency of complications, left ventricular systolic and diastolic function, and left atrial size evaluated after 12 months. Arrhythmia specific symptoms and anxiety will be measured with the ASTA and HADS questionnaires. Arrhythmia symptom correlation between subjective and objective findings. After three years, clinical endpoints will be evaluated regarding overall survival, and risk of heart failure hospitalization or death. The cost of the treatments will be compared, and estimated cost per quality adjusted year of life will be calculated, based on the EQ5D questionnaire.
A Study of IV HBI-3000 for the Conversion Recent Onset Atrial Fibrillation (AF)
Atrial FibrillationThis Phase 2 study is a two-stage, serial cohort dose escalation and expansion study of a single 30-minute (IV) infusion of HBI-3000 for the conversion of patients with recent-onset atrial fibrillation (AF). Stage A is open label and all patients will receive HBI-3000. In each of three dose cohorts, up to 10 patients will receive HBI-3000 by IV infusion (30 minutes). Three different dose levels are planned to be administered serially, lowest to highest, with assessment of safety, tolerability, and efficacy prior to proceeding to the next dose level group. Following Stage A, the iDMC will recommend up to two doses of HBI-3000 to be further explored in Stage B. Stage B is a serial, randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled cohort of two different doses of HBI-3000, with a dose decision after the first cohort. Stage B will be powered to show a difference between HBI-3000 and placebo in conversion rate at each of the two dose levels.
COmparison of Bleeding Risk Between Rivaroxaban and Apixaban in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation...
Atrial FibrillationAtrial Fibrillation (AF) affects 200,000 Canadians and increases risk of stroke, morbidity and mortality. Having a stroke can affect a patient's ability to speak, eat, walk, work, care for themselves, and interact with others. Not only can it ruin one's life, but it can also be fatal. A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked by a clot, depriving brain cells of oxygen. In people with atrial fibrillation, blood flow is sluggish in the top chambers of the heart, and blood clots can form there. When a piece of a clot breaks off, it can travel to the brain and cause a stroke. That's where blood thinners come in. Blood thinners, or anticoagulants, decrease the chances of blood clots forming in the heart, reducing the risk of stroke. Studies show that blood thinners are highly effective at reducing the risk of stroke by up to 95%. The conventional blood thinner is warfarin, taken by mouth. Warfarin requires regular blood tests to make sure a patient getting the correct dose. The patient also may have to avoid certain foods since the medication can interact with them. Newer blood thinners, known as direct-oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are available, which do not require regular blood tests and do not interact with foods. Two of the new blood thinners are called rivaroxaban and apixaban. Like warfarin, they can be taken by mouth, and studies have shown them to be as effective as warfarin. Both rivaroxaban and apixaban have been approved for stroke prevention in AF by Health Canada. However, there have been no direct head-to-head comparisons of these two anticoagulants, meaning comparative safety data is not available. Increasing use of DOACs for stroke prevention in AF and patient values around bleeding highlight the need for a comparison trial to ensure patients receive the anticoagulant with the greatest balance of benefit to potential harm. The trial is to assess bleeding rates and superiority of using apixaban versus rivaroxaban in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.
Oral Amiodarone for Acute Cardioversion of Atrial Fibrillation Study
Atrial FibrillationThe investigators will seek to determine the safety and efficacy of high-dose amiodarone (2000mg), given as a single uniform oral dose, for the treatment of acute atrial fibrillation in both a hospital inpatient and ambulatory outpatient setting. The investigators will conduct a placebo-controlled randomized trial, with outcome ascertainment at 48h.
Device-based Rate Versus Rhythm Control in Symptomatic Recent-onset Atrial Fibrillation (RACE 9...
Atrial FibrillationContinuous heart rhythm monitoring elucidated the recurrent and transient nature of recent-onset atrial fibrillation (AF). The RACE7 ACWAS showed that a wait-and-see approach (WAS) in patients with recent-onset AF (rate control for symptom relief followed by delayed cardioversion if needed <48h) allows spontaneous conversion to sinus rhythm in 69% of patients, obviating active cardioversion. Recurrences within one month were seen in 30% of patients in both groups, i.e. the initially chosen strategy did not affect the recurrence pattern. Considering the latter, it remains unclear whether cardioversion is needed at all, especially since cardioversion strategy does not seem to affect behaviour of the arrhythmia over time. Instead of cardioversion a watchful-waiting rate control strategy may be appropriate as initial strategy. This allows observing the electrical and clinical behavior of arrhythmia, providing a solid basis for comprehensive and effective early rhythm control. This study is a multi-center clinical randomized controlled trial to show non-inferiority of watchful-waiting with rate control versus routine care in terms of prevalence of sinus rhythm at 4 weeks follow-up, using a novel telemonitoring infrastructure to guide rate control during follow-up.
A Mechanistic Exploratory Study of AF-induced Cardiac Dysfunction and Symptoms
Atrial FibrillationHeart FailureAlthough the heart rhythm disorder Atrial Fibrillation (AF) affects 2% of the population, the impact it has on an effected individual can be highly variable. Some people are asymptomatic whilst others can experience debilitating symptoms or heart failure (HF)- weakness of the heart muscle. The reason why this variability exists in unknown and how AF actually drives HF is unclear. HF can also be caused by many other reasons and it can be difficult to identify those patients with HF caused by AF versus patients with AF but their HF is due to a different reason. This is important as it would help us to identify those patients most likely to improve their heart function after the treatment of AF and thus gain more from invasive treatments like AF catheter ablation; which is effective at restoring normal heart rhythm but has some risks attached. The investigators suspect the characteristics of the AF, such as how irregularly it makes the heartbeat, can be used to predict who will respond better. Studies of heart cells in the lab as well as animal models have suggested this characteristic may be the cause of AF-induced heart muscle weakness and reduce cardiac output, making it a potential predictor that can be measured. Other potential predictors will be measured during pre-procedural scans and tests too. The investigators will also explore whether there are predictors of which patients gain the most symptomatic benefit and gain insight into why some people develop symptoms of AF, whereas others do not. By studying the structural and functional sequelae of catheter ablation in patients with HF the investigators hope to better understand the relationship between the two diseases.
Strategy of Crossing Two Ablation Techniques (Cryoballoon and Radiofrequency) After the Recurrence...
Atrial FibrillationRandomized phase III clinical trial to compare the efficacy of the two most widely used ablation techniques (cryotherapy and radiofrequency) after recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients requiring a new ablation procedure.
Cardiovascular Risk Reduction in Atrial Fibrillation Trial
Atrial FibrillationHypertensionAtrial fibrillation (AF) is a serious public health problem because of its increasing incidence and prevalence in the aging population. AF is associated with elevated risks of death, stroke, coronary event, heart failure, cognitive decline, and chronic kidney disease. To identify preventive interventions for major cardiovascular events beyond effective anticoagulation should be a major priority in the treatment of AF patients. The CRAFT study is a 2-arm, multicenter, randomized clinical trial designed to test whether intensive blood pressure control will reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events in AF patients.
Heart Rate Regularization in Atrial Fibrilation and Heart Failure
Heart FailureAtrial FibrillationThe PACE-FIB trial is a multicentre, randomised, open-label clinical trial. Patients older than 18 years, with permanent AF, LVEF>40%, average resting heart rate ≤ 110 beats per minute (bpm), at least one hospitalisation due to HF in the previous year and basal NT-proBNP level>900 pg/ml will be randomised to either CSP and subsequent AV node ablation (intervention group) vs. pharmacologic rate control optimised according to clinical practice guidelines. The impact of both strategies on a composite primary endpoint of all-cause mortality, HF hospitalisation and worsening HF will be evaluated during a 36-month follow-up.
Assessment of Quitting Versus Using Aspirin Therapy In Patients Treated With Oral Anticoagulation...
Coronary Artery DiseaseLong-term aspirin (ASA) is the standard recommended antithrombotic therapy in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD), especially following stenting (Class I, Level A). Long-term oral anticoagulation (OAC) is the standard antithrombotic therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) associated with one or more risk factor for stroke (Class I, Level A). During the first year following acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and/or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), several studies evaluating the combination of OAC treatment and antiplatelet therapy are either already published or ongoing. At distance of the index ACS and/or PCI, patients with stable CAD and concomitant AF remain at particular high-risk of ischemic (3 to 4 times higher as compared to patients with stable CAD without AF) and bleeding events. Antithrombotic management of these patients is subsequently highly challenging in clinical practice. The European task force suggests that the use of a full-dose anticoagulant monotherapy without any antiplatelet therapy should be the default strategy in such patients with both, AF and stable CAD. However, evidences are sparse and weak to support such a strategy (only observational studies with many biases) and no randomized trial has assessed this question. These patients, especially those at high-risk of recurrent ischemic events (post- ACS, diabetes, multivessel CAD…) may benefit from the combination of OAC and aspirin at long-term. Indeed the crude event rate of ischemic events is much higher than the crude event rate of bleeding in this specific population. Ischemic events are 2 to 3 times more frequent than bleeding in daily practice. The benefit/risk ratio of these two different strategies (ASA in combination with OAC vs. OAC alone) in patients at high-risk of recurrent coronary and vascular events remains unknown. Dual therapy with full-dose anticoagulation and ASA may lead to higher risk of major bleeding, while stopping ASA in stabilized high-risk patients after PCI may lead to poorer outcome regarding ischemic events. The coordinating investigators therefore designed a double blind placebo controlled trial in order to assess the optimal antithrombotic regimen that should be pursued long-life in this subset of patients.