Active clinical trials for "Atrial Fibrillation"

Catheter ablation with pulmonary vein (PV) isolation is a commonly performed strategy employed for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, ablation in the posterior wall of the left atrium can cause thermal injury to the esophagus. Thermal injury is very common and occurs in up to 40% of AF ablations per some studies. When significant thermal injury to the esophagus occurs, two significant complications can arise: 1) the formation of an atrio-esophageal fistula, and 2) gastrointestinal dysmotility. While the occurrence of fistula is rare, it is a very important complication since it is often fatal. Currently luminal esophageal temperature monitoring is the most commonly employed modality to prevent such injury. However, there are limitations to its use, and atrio-esophageal fistulas continue to be a major problem in AF ablation even when using esophageal temperature monitoring. Esophageal deviation using either a Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) or Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) probe has been described in the literature, but the effectiveness and practicality of these techniques are suboptimal, and have therefore precluded their use in routine clinical practice. Recently, esophageal deviation using off-the-shelf equipment (a soft thoracic tube and endotracheal stylet) was tested in the randomized double-blind multicenter study "Deviating the Esophagus in Atrial Fibrillation Ablation (DEVIATE-AF)". In that study the standard practice (i.e., use of luminal esophageal temperature monitoring) was compared to esophageal deviation using off-the-shelf equipment. The results were very encouraging showing that esophageal deviation allowed for significant reductions in esophageal temperature and proportion of premature ablation terminations. Importantly, esophageal deviation allowed the isolation all PVs in the treatment group, which was not the case in the control group. One major limitation in the DEVIATE-AF trial was that off-the-shelf equipment tool was challenging to use. The aim of the Esophageal Deviation in Atrial Fibrillation Ablation study is to test the feasibility and safety of moving the esophagus using a specialized esophageal deviation tool (DV8, Manual Surgical Sciences, Minneapolis, MN).

This prospective, multicenter, observational study will examine the ability of real time electrogram processing mapping to identify driver domains to target for ablation in persistent AF patients.

Based upon Northern New England Cardiovascular Study Group data, the rate of post operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) requiring treatment following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) at Maine Medical Center (MMC) is currently 30%. Nationally, POAF occurs in up to 40% of patients post CABG, 50% of patients after valve surgery, 64% of patients post mitral valve and CABG and 49% after aortic valve replacement. Atrial fibrillation worsens a patient's hemodynamic status and increases the risk of congestive heart failure (CHF), embolic events and longer ICU stays leading to increased patient morbidity and strain on financial resources. In the U.S., POAF carries a higher risk of stroke (37% OR 2.0 in-hospital mortality (OR = 1.7), worsened survival (74% versus 87%), and an additional 4.9 days and $10,000-$11,500 in hospital stay costs. Atrial fibrillation requires both an initiation trigger and favorable environment for maintenance and the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems play important roles in this regard. Unfortunately, the precise mechanisms of POAF are still being investigated. This postoperative complication has persisted in spite of efforts to mitigate it pharmacologically with beta blockers and amiodarone, an experience shared by most other cardiac surgery centers. The stellate ganglion is formed by the fusion of the inferior cervical sympathetic ganglion and first thoracic sympathetic ganglion. By modulating the sympathetic component of the autonomic nervous system, stellate ganglion stimulation has been shown to facilitate induction of atrial fibrillation while ablation may reduce or prevent episodes. Human studies have further supported this model. Preliminary studies of perioperative stellate ganglion block (SGB) in cardiac surgery suggest that this technique may reduce or prevent episodes of POAF requiring treatment. The investigator's ultimate goal is to determine whether SGB reduces the incidence of POAF in specific cardiac surgery populations at MMC. First, however, the investigator proposes to test the hypothesis that SGB, performed perioperatively by cardiac anesthesiologists in a population of patients undergoing cardiac surgery, is both safe and clinically feasible.

This study is designed to evaluate the use of real-time ultrasound-guided femoral venipuncture during pulmonary vein isolation for treating atrial fibrillation .

Because atrial fibrillation occurs frequently in heart surgery patients, our overall hypothesis is that systematic closing the left atrial appendage during surgery will reduce cerebral embolism coming from the thrombus formation in the left atrium. The specific hypothesis which sought tested is that closure of the left atrial appendage in connection with elective CABG and / or valve surgery will lead to fewer strokes and micro cerebral infarcts measured by MRI.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate if Apixaban will decrease the complication of having another stroke for people who have atrial fibrillation if initiated earlier than standard of care.

Open-label, crossover study recruiting 46 healthy male volunteers comparing the absorption of APO-dabigatran 150 mg per oral (PO) in the absence or presence of a proton pump inhibitor. Participants will serve as their own control when comparing dabigatran exposure in the absence or presence of the proton pump inhibitor, Rabeprazole 20 mg.

This study is a multicenter, randomized, subject and Investigator-blinded, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multiple ascending dose-ranging study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamics (PD) effects of MAA868 in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) or flutter at low risk of thromboembolic stroke or peripheral embolism.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia that occurs after on pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. It is associated with postoperative complications, including increased risk of stroke, prolonged hospital stay and increased costs. Objectives: The aim of this study was to find reliable, effective, safe and well tolerated tools for the prevention of AF after on pump coronary artery bypass surgery. Patients and methods: The study included 176 patients (age range 40 to 79 years) and scheduled for elective on pump CABG operations without concomitant procedures. The patients were divided randomly into two equal groups. Group (A) in which bisoprolol was used for prophylaxis against atrial fibrillation after surgery. Group (B) in which bisoprolol and hydrocortisone were used for prophylaxis against atrial fibrillation after surgery. For each patient, the following data were collected: gender, preoperative diseases, intraoperative cross clamp time, cardiopulmonary bypass time, and Lt internal mammary Artery usage, incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation, death, myocardial infarction chest infection and C - reactive protein levels.

WATCH-Rhythm is a prospective, randomized, multi-center, investigation to collect safety and effectiveness data on combining conventional AF ablation with LAA electric isolation and closure within a single procedure.