View clinical trials related to Persistent Atrial Fibrillation.
Filter by:Atrial fibrillation (AF), often referred to as an 'irregular heartbeat', is the most common abnormal heart rhythm worldwide. AF may be intermittent (termed paroxysmal) or sustained (termed persistent).Catheter ablation is increasingly being used to manage individuals with AF, however in a significant proportion of cases AF recurs. Such rhythm control interventions are known to be less effective in individuals with persistent AF compared with those with paroxysmal AF. Analysis of heart tissue of individuals with AF show deposition of scar tissue within the heart muscle and this scar tissue promotes abnormal electrical activity that is involved in causing AF. The aim of the proposed study is to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of combining conventional pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) during catheter ablation for AF with adjunctive substrate ablation.
In the last 20 years, atrial fibrillation has become one of the leading healthcare burden in Europe and other developed countries. With an ever-increasing prevalence and incidence, atrial fibrillation is expected to remain a significant problem in the near future. Due to numerous detrimental effects atrial fibrillation has on the patient's health, having an efficient and safe treatment is crucial for managing the problem. The gold standard for an atrial fibrillation treatment is a catheter ablation. In typical catheter ablation procedure, triggers in pulmonary veins are addressed with a pulmonary vein isolation- offering a high long-term success rate in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. However, the same cannot be said for persistent and longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation. Studies have shown that efficiency of catheter ablation for persistent and longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation, including multiple procedures per patient, ranges around 50 %. It is postulated that extrapulmonary vein triggers, such as foci located in the posterior wall of the left atrium, play an important role in initiating and maintaining persistent and longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation. In the past, to address this issue, a convergent procedure was developed. In convergent procedure an epicardial ablation of posterior wall is performed through a subxyphoid window. Next, an endocardial ablation with an ablation catheter is performed to isolate pulmonary veins. Because the epicardial lesions are applied in the opposite direction and not towards the esophagus, ablation of posterior wall can safely be performed. The procedure offers a high long-term success rate (85%) in patients with persistent and longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation. However, due to higher associated invasiveness, the convergent procedure carries a higher risk of complications compared with catheter ablation (4 % vs 9 %). With advancements in ablation catheter technology, such as continuous force measurement at the tip of the catheter, the depth and volume of the lesion can be estimated. This information greatly increases the reliability of lesion formation. The operator can thus effectively apply lesions to the posterior wall of the left atrium more safely in regards to the collateral damage to the esophagus. The objectives of the study are: - To compare procedural, safety and efficiency profile of convergent procedure with catheter ablation procedure, both targeting pulmonary veins triggers and triggers located in the posterior wall of the left atrium. - To compare long-term success rate of convergent procedure with catheter ablation procedure, both targeting pulmonary veins triggers and triggers located in the posterior wall of the left atrium.
The purpose of this study it to learn whether pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) along with isolation of the posterior left atrial wall (PWI) in the region of the pulmonary venous component will reduce the likelihood of atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation at 12 months, after a single ablation procedure, in comparison to PVI alone. The investigator hypothesizes that the combination of PVI + PWI will result in a significant reduction in recurrence of atrial fibrillation at 12 months after ablation.
Catheter ablation has emerged as an important treatment option for patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF). Pulmonary vein antral isolation (PVI) is now considered the cornerstone technique of AF ablation and has shown promise in treating paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). However, there is no unique strategy for ablation of persistent AF (PeAF), whether PVI alone is sufficient to prevent patients from recurrence remains controversial. The PROMPT-AF study is a prospective, multicenter, randomized trial involving a blinded assessment of outcomes, which is designed to compare arrhythmia-free survival between PVI and an ablation strategy termed upgraded '2C3L' for ablation of PeAF.
The purpose for this study is to determine whether left posterior wall isolation (PWI) in addition to pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is effective as ablation strategy for persistent atrial fibrillation (AF).
Current international guidelines recommend a three-month blanking period after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) for atrial fibrillation (AF). Early recurrence of atrial tachyarrhythmia (ERAT; comprising of AF, left atrial tachycardia and atrial flutter) is common, occurring in up to 65% of patients, but in the first month is generally thought not to predict long-term AF recurrence, and re-intervention is not recommended. Suggested causes for ERAT include inflammation and arrhythmogenic structural changes caused by ablation lesions. Early, purely inflammatory ERAT would not lead to late AF recurrence as pulmonary vein reconnection is established as the main factor associated with long-term recurrence in paroxysmal AF. Previous studies have shown ERAT in the second to third month (rather than first month) to be a stronger predictor of late AF recurrence, due to presumed reduction in the contribution of the acute inflammatory response after this. Biochemical data have shown that the post-ablation inflammatory phase is usually limited to the first month after both radiofrequency (RF) and cryoballoon (CB) ablation, though inflammatory markers have been shown to be less elevated following CB PVI. Histologically, lesions formed by the two modalities differ significantly. RF lesions are characterised by irregular boundaries and significant disruption to the endothelium, exposing the sub-endothelial layer and resulting in significant and sustained platelet activation, changes which can last for many months. CB lesions on the other hand, are observed as well demarcated and homogenous within one week, with reduced thrombogenicity, which may lead to reduced inflammation. ERAT following CB ablation cannot be accurately predicted by inflammatory response and it is postulated that endothelial function may play a role in the development of ERAT in such patients. Some studies have shown reduced recurrence rate and re-hospitalisation amongst the CB population, including the FIRE and ICE trial, potentially resulting in a better patient experience with CB and the possibility of a shorter blanking period. Post-ablation inflammatory response is more predictive of ERAT following RF than CB PVI, and the latter is considered to be associated with less inflammation. There is however, a paucity of data evaluating endothelial function post-AF ablation and its correlation with ERAT or late recurrences of arrhythmia. Given that earlier re-intervention in patients with ERAT in the third month of the blanking period can result in greater outcomes with respect to late recurrence of AF, if it can be demonstrated that endothelial function testing in the first few months post-CB PVI can be predictive of later ERAT, then shortening the blanking period following CB PVI and performing repeat ablation to control troublesome later ERAT may reduce overall patient morbidity and re-hospitalisation. The purpose of this novel pilot study is to examine the relationship between the post-ablation inflammatory response, endothelial function and timing and frequency of ERAT for patients undergoing RF and CB PVI for paroxysmal or short-lived persistent (less than 6 months' duration) AF. If the initial data provides hypothesis generating information, the aim would be to perform the study on a larger basis with higher statistical power to determine whether early post-ablation endothelial function testing can predict recurrences and identify those suitable for earlier re-intervention.
The objective of this clinical trial is to collect safety and effectiveness data for the TactiCath™ Contact Force Ablation Catheter, Sensor Enabled™ (TactiCath SE) in the APAC patient population for the treatment of drug refractory, symptomatic persistent atrial fibrillation when following standard electrophysiology mapping and radiofrequency (RF) ablation procedures.
This clinical trial is designed to compare two management strategies for the treatment of asymptomatic/subclinical atrial fibrillation after ablation based on data from the Biotronik ICM (BioMonitor3® or future generation of Biotronik ICM).
In this multi centre prospective study authors will evaluate atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence at 360 days follow-up and calcium handling in patients treated by epicardial thoracoscopic ablation for persistent AF. Indeed, responders patients to epicardial ablation will experience sinus rhythm restoration after the treatment, and will be in sinus rhythm until follow-up end. However, from October 2014 to June 2016, 27 consecutive patients with persistent AF will be identified and screened for participation in this prospective, multicenter trial at Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Campobasso, at University Study of Molise, Campobasso, at Vecchio Pellegrini Hospital, Naples and at University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy. All patients will receive an epicardial thoracoscopic pulmonary vein isolation. Before interventions, baseline laboratory studies, B type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) and serum Sarcoplasmic Endoplasmic Reticulum Calcium ATPase (SERCA) will be evaluated. These markers will be re-evaluated at 12th month of follow-up. Therefore, study hypothesis will be that successful epicardial ablation might reduce, in responders patients, the SERCA expression. Parallely, a lower serum expression of SERCA in patients with persistent AF might potentially identify a response to an epicardial ablative approach, and an innovative target to improve the response to an epicardial ablative treatment.
PersAFOne: Feasibility Study of the FARAPULSE™ Endocardial Ablation System in the Treatment of Persistent Atrial Fibrillation