Active clinical trials for "Atrial Fibrillation"

Six million Americans live with atrial fibrillation (AF), a heart rhythm abnormality that is a major risk factor for stroke and only half of those AF patients receive oral anticoagulation (AC). Within the context of an ongoing collaboration between two large learning health systems, the investigators propose to study the impact of a shared clinical decision support tool embedded within the electronic health record designed to enhance guideline-based AC prescription. The hypothesis the investigators are testing is that the number of AC starts in patients seen by intervention providers will be higher than in patients seen by control providers. Additionally, the investigators are testing the hypothesis that the risk of not persisting on AC will be higher in the patients of control providers compared with patients of intervention providers.

Compare the difference of cognitive function between different treatment strategy in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation

This initiative supports a quality improvement effort evaluating the use of strategies (including technology-based decision support, referral to a virtual GDMT team, and general educational tools/resources for clinicians and patients) to improve use of guideline-directed therapeutics known to lower cardiovascular (CV) events among patients with cardiovascular diseases of heart failure, atrial fibrillation and type 2 diabetes (T2D)/ASCVD with a specific focus on underserved populations and those with a history of health care disparities.

Secretoneurin (SN) is a neuropeptide from the chromogranin family that influences intracellular calcium handling. SN suppresses calcium leakage from the sarcoplasmic reticulum through the ryanodine receptor. SN is a novel biomarker that has shown the potential to predict adverse arrhythmic events.

The researchers hypothesize that existing-prescription notifications directed to pharmacists are more likely to lead to a prescription change than existing-prescription notifications directed to prescribers. Furthermore, the researchers hypothesize that the availability of a pharmacist referral option is associated with a higher rate of prescription changes for initial-prescription alerts that are directed to the prescriber at the time of initial-prescribing errors. Findings from this project will establish a framework for implementing prescriber-pharmacist collaboration for high risk medications, including anticoagulants

The purpose of this study is to compare the change of global cognitive performance after 52 weeks of intervention among participants with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) receiving rivaroxaban versus a vitamin K antagonist (warfarin). The secondary objectives are to compare, among participants with NVFA receiving rivaroxaban versus warfarin : the changes of global cognitive performance after 26 weeks of intervention the changes of executive functions after 26 and 52 weeks of intervention the changes of episodic memory after 26 and 52 weeks of intervention the changes of independence and autonomy after 26 and 52 weeks of intervention

This study intends to collect blood samples of adult healthy subjects, elderly healthy subjects and elderly patients with atrial fibrillation after taking dabigatran etexilate for pharmacokinetics and other studies, aiming to reveal the effect of dabigatran etexilate in Chinese elderly population. Pharmacokinetic profile and biomarker concentration levels; fecal samples were collected for gut microbiota studies to further explore potential mechanisms. The results of the study may provide reference for the precision medicine of dabigatran etexilate and other drugs in the elderly population or the development of new clinical drugs.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia and the prevalence increase with age. Autonomic nervous system play a critical role in the initiation and maintenance of AF. The intrinsic cardiac autonomic nervous system includes ganglionated plexus (GP) modulate the level of parasympathetic activity to the heart. Experimental and clinical studies suggest that GP activation plays a significant role in clinical AF in both the initiation of and the maintenance of AF. Synaptic plasticity is defined as the ability of synapses to change their strength of transmission. Plasticity of synaptic connections in the brain is a major focus of neuroscience research, as it is the primary mechanism underpinning learning and memory. Beyond the brain however, plasticity in peripheral neurons is less well understood, particularly in the GP neurons innervating the heart. The ability of these neurons to alter parasympathetic activity suggests that plasticity may indeed occur at the synapses formed on and by GP neurons. Such changes may not only fine-tune autonomic innervation of the heart, but could also be a source of maladaptive plasticity during atrial fibrillation. Low level tragus stimulation (LLTS) has been shown to decrease AF burden among patients with paroxysmal AF. However, the exact mechanism remains unclear. The objective of this study is to examine changes in synaptic density of GP neurons in patients with paroxysmal AF and persistent AF compared to those without AF undergoing cardiac surgery. In addition, we aim to examine the effect of LLTS on the synaptic plasticity of the GP neurons. A group of patients undergoing open heart surgery will be randomized to active LLTS for 30 min (pulse width of 200 μs, amplitude of 20 mA and a pulse frequency of 20 Hz) or no stimulation. Biopsy from GP tissue will be taken immediately after stimulation and histological staining for choline acetyl transferase (ChAT), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and synaptophysin will be performed to examine synaptic plasticity. Understanding the effect of LLTS on GP SP will help to determine whether changes in synaptic plasticity can increase or decrease autonomic tone of the heart, and its role in generating the aberrant electrical impulses in the GP around the pulmonary veins that can trigger and drive AF.

The incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common heart rhythm disorder, is increasing. The symptoms of AF include: unpleasant heartbeats; difficulty breathing; tiredness; dizziness; and, reduced exercise capacity. Patients with AF have lower quality of life, higher mental distress, and higher risk of heart disease and stroke when compared to the general population. Further, patients with non-permanent AF tend to experience more severe symptoms and substantial reductions in quality of life when compared to patients with permanent AF. Type 2 diabetes increases the risk of developing AF and accounts for about 20% of patients with non-permanent AF. High blood glucose concentrations and increased blood glucose fluctuations (large and frequent upward and downward blood glucose swings) are commonly seen in type 2 diabetes. Increased blood glucose fluctuations may worsen AF symptoms and quality of life in patients with AF. Exercise improves quality of life and mental health and reduces risk of developing heart disease and stroke. However, no clinical guidelines for managing AF include exercise. High-intensity interval training (HIIT), a form of exercise that alternates between intense bouts of exercise and less intense recovery periods, is a time-efficient approach to improve blood glucose fluctuations in type 2 diabetes. In healthy individuals and in patients with coronary artery disease, HIIT also improves quality of life and mental health. Currently, the effect of HIIT on blood glucose fluctuations, AF symptom severity and quality of life in patients with AF living with type 2 diabetes is unknown. Also, the links between blood glucose fluctuations and AF symptom severity and quality of life have not been investigated.

Catheter ablation with pulmonary vein (PV) isolation is a commonly performed strategy employed for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. The conventional approach for post-procedure care has been for the patient to stay overnight and be discharged the next day. However, the overall incidence of procedure related complications of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation in high volume centers is low. New technologies have been introduced and improve the safety of the ablation procedure. Discharging patients the same day after ablation is a practice that's currently followed by many centers in the United States and abroad. The investigators' hypothesis is that the currently available advanced technologies allow for the same-day safe discharge of patients after catheter ablation. The investigators propose a prospective single-arm study to evaluate the feasibility and safety of the same-day discharge after AF ablation at MGH. The protocol of same-day discharge will include the use of a commercially available venous closure device, early ambulation, bed-side echocardiogram, and follow-up phone calls at day 1 and 3 post-procedure.