APAF: Assessment of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in Patients With Permanent Atrial Fibrillation
![]() |
The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details. |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00111527 |
Recruitment Status :
Completed
First Posted : May 23, 2005
Last Update Posted : March 23, 2010
|
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
A suboptimal level of resynchronization (cardiac resynchronization therapy [CRT]) achieved in many patients with actual standards and techniques based on tissue-Doppler echocardiography could be more effective to obtain better CRT results. Eligible patients who successfully received atrioventricular (AV) junction ablation and biventricular (BiV) pacing are randomised to a comparison between a strategy of right ventricular (RV) apical pacing with delayed CRT based on clinical indications with a strategy of early optimal CRT based on an echocardiographic stratification.
End-points:
- Acute echo comparison (acute echo study)
- Quality of life and exercise tolerance (Short-term clinical study)
- Composite end-point of CRT clinical failure (Long-term clinical study)
Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
---|---|---|
Congestive Heart Failure Atrial Fibrillation | Other: Optimized echo-guided CRT pacing Other: normal RV pacing | Phase 3 |
Background: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in patients in atrial fibrillation (AF) seems to provide modest favorable effect compared with RV pacing. In the Optimal Pacing SITE (OPSITE) trial the results were heterogeneous. The situation was almost certainly one in which some patients are showing marked clinical benefit with LV-based pacing, balanced by other patients in whom RV was the best choice. Therefore with the actual standards, CRT pacing cannot be recommended as a first line treatment for all patients with AF and refractory heart failure and new criteria to identify the patients who might benefit are needed. Furthermore, a pre-requisite for CRT in patients with AF is the presence of stable 3rd degree AV block which usually implies the need for performing catheter ablation of the AV junction.
Study hypothesis: We hypothesized that a suboptimal level of resynchronization is achieved in many patients with actual standards and that some techniques based on tissue-Doppler echocardiography could be more effective to obtain better (hopefully optimal) CRT results.
Objective: The aim of the APAF+ heart failure (HF) trial is to compare, in patients affected by permanent AF and refractory heart failure, a strategy of delayed CRT based on clinical indications with a strategy of early optimal CRT based on an echocardiographic stratification.
Study protocol: Eligible patients who successfully received AV junction ablation and biventricular pacing are randomised to a comparison between a strategy of RV apical pacing with delayed CRT based on clinical indications with a strategy of early optimal CRT based on an echocardiographic stratification. The optimal CRT is defined as the shortest intra-LV delay obtained with tissue-doppler echocardiography among RV, LV and BiV optimised VV interval.
An acute echocardiographic evaluation is performed shortly after randomisation. A short-term clinical evaluation is performed after 6 months. A long-term clinical evaluation is performed up to 24 months.
End-points:
- Acute echo comparison (acute echo study)
- Quality of life and exercise tolerance (Short-term clinical study)
- Composite end-point of CRT clinical failure (Long-term clinical study)
Study size: The study will randomise 458 patients and will be conducted in 46 centres with an average of 10 patients per centre. Patient enrolment time is anticipated to last 2 years. As the study will continue for a period of 12 months after the enrolment of the last patient, total study duration will be approximately 3 years.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Estimated Enrollment : | 458 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | Double (Participant, Investigator) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | An Assessment of the Echo-guided Optimal Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in Patients Undergoing 'Ablate And Pace' Therapy for Permanent Atrial Fibrillation |
Study Start Date : | May 2005 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | August 2009 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | March 2010 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
---|---|
Active Comparator: 1
Normal RV pacing
|
Other: normal RV pacing
PM or ICD implant according to patient indication |
Experimental: 2
Echo-guided optimization of pacing
|
Other: Optimized echo-guided CRT pacing
Echo-TDI guided VV-delay optimization |
- Short-term clinical study (6 months): Quality of life (measured as Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire, Specific Symptom Scale and New York Heart Association classification) and exercise capacity at 6 months in the 2 study groups [ Time Frame: 6 months ]
- Long-term clinical study (24 months): Composite end-point of: death due to cardiovascular cause, hospitalisation for worsening heart failure, worsening heart failure or failure to achieve a persistent subjective symptom improvement (clinical failure) [ Time Frame: 24 months ]
- The evaluation of the predictive value of echo desynchronisation indexes (inter and intra-LV delays) for identification of clinical failure (see above) [ Time Frame: 24 months ]
- Cost-benefit comparison of the 2 pacing strategies [ Time Frame: 24 months ]

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Patients with permanent AF in whom a clinical decision had been made to undertake complete AV junction ablation and ventricular pacing because of drug-refractory, severely symptomatic, uncontrolled high ventricular rate
- Patients with permanent AF, drug-refractory heart failure, depressed LV function in whom a clinical decision had been made to undertake left ventricular synchronization pacing
Exclusion Criteria:
- New York Heart Association class IV heart failure, or systolic blood pressure ≥80 mmHg
- Severe concomitant non cardiac disease
- Need for surgical intervention
- Myocardial infarction within 3 months
- Primary hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia
- Primary valvular heart disease
- Sustained ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation
- Previously implanted pacemaker
- Inability to obtain reliable RV and LV pacing and persistent AV block

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00111527
Italy | |
Michele Brignole | |
Lavagna, Genova, Italy, 16033 | |
Arcispedale S Maria Nuova | |
Reggio Emilia, Italy, 42100 |
Principal Investigator: | Michele Brignole, MD | Ospedali del Tigullio, Lavagna, Italy | |
Principal Investigator: | Carlo Menozzi, MD | Ospedale S Maria Nuova, Reggio Emilia, Italy |
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
Responsible Party: | Michele Brignole, Ospedali del Tigullio |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00111527 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
1893A |
First Posted: | May 23, 2005 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | March 23, 2010 |
Last Verified: | March 2010 |
Heart failure Atrial fibrillation Cardiac resynchronization Cardiac pacing |
Catheter ablation Quality of life Echocardiography |
Heart Failure Atrial Fibrillation Heart Diseases |
Cardiovascular Diseases Arrhythmias, Cardiac Pathologic Processes |