Cryoballoon Ablation as First Line Treatment of Atrial Flutter — CRAFT  

Atrial Flutter Typical Clinical Trial

Official title: Cryoballoon Pulmonary Vein Isolation as First Line Treatment for Typical Atrial Flutter

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

Current guidelines recommend radiofrequency catheter ablation of the cavotricuspid isthmus as treatment for symptomatic/drug-refractory atrial flutter, in spite of the fact that recurrences of flutter and incidence of post-ablation atrial fibrillation are common.

In this study, the investigators assess the hypothesis that the use of cryoballoon Pulmonary Vein Isolation ('novel' treatment) to achieve the electrical disconnection between the pulmonary veins and the heart will lead to higher rates of freedom from abnormal heart rhythms (atrial flutter, atrial fibrillation, or atrial tachycardia) and more improved quality of life than treatment using heat energy (radiofrequency ablation) directed at the cavotricuspid isthmus ('conventional treatment').

Clinical Trial Description

Atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation are believed to share the same initiating triggers in the form of pulmonary vein ectopy. Cavo-tricuspid isthmus-dependent atrial flutter almost always results from short bursts of antecedent atrial fibrillation. Radiofrequency (RF) ablation of the cavo-tricuspid isthmus (CTI) is the current accepted first-line treatment for atrial flutter, although post-ablation atrial fibrillation commonly occurs, even in the absence of pre-existing atrial fibrillation.

Cryoballoon Pulmonary Vein Isolation (PVI) has become an established treatment for atrial fibrillation. In patients with both atrial flutter and fibrillation, PVI alone has been shown to control both types of atrial arrhythmia, with no benefit derived from supplemental RF CTI ablation.

This study aims to demonstrate that standalone cryoballoon PVI for typical atrial flutter without RF CTI ablation will lead to a significant difference in preventing recurrence of atrial arrhythmia compared to radiofrequency ablation of the CTI, and should be offered as first-line therapy. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Atrial Flutter
• Atrial Flutter Typical

• NCT number: NCT03401099
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: August 17, 2018
• Completion date: November 1, 2023