Acute Atrial Fibrillation and Flutter Treated Electively

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Atrial Fibrillation; Atrial Flutter
• Interventions: Other: Delayed cardioversion; Other: Acute cardioversion

• Registration Number: NCT04267159
• Lead Sponsor: Tampere University

Brief Summary

The AFFELECT -study compares two types of treatment modalities for acute atrial fibrillation or flutter for patients in whom rhythm control is desirable. The main purpose is to observe if these arrhythmias can be safely treated electively (within 5-9 days).

All patients are recruited in the emergency department. Patients must be in good clinical condition so that they can be discharged regardless to which treatment modality is randomly selected to them. Patients randomized to conventional care are treated conventionally which means acute rhythm control is applied by electrical or medical cardioversion in the emergency department (within 48 hours of onset of the arrhythmia). Patients randomized to elective care are discharged immediately after adequate temporary rhythm control is assured.

All patients will visit a cardiologist out-patient clinic at approximately one week after the emergency room visit. Patients randomized to elective treatment and still in atrial fibrillation or in atrial flutter will be restored to sinus rhythm by electrical or medical cardioversion at the out-patient clinic. Cardiovascular status and treatment options are evaluated for all patients.

Anticoagulation is managed according existing guidelines for all patients. Due to possibility of delayed cardioversion in the interventional group (elective care group), all patients receive anticoagulation before the out-patient clinic despite their thromboembolic risk. All patients who have not received adequate anticoagulation for three weeks prior to the delayed cardioversion will undergo a transesophageal cardiac ultrasound to ensure they are not in excess risk for thromboembolic events. Patients randomized to elective treatment have the possibility to opt-out and undergo acute cardioversion if their symptoms are unmanageable during the first week before the out-patient clinical.

All patients are monitored for their symptoms by a standardized quality-of-life questionnaire and for possibly required acute medical interventions during the first week and one month after the out-patient clinic. After one month, all patients undergo an electrocardiography (ECG) to ensure the maintenance of normal rhythm in both treatment groups. After the months follow-up all patients are subsequently monitored for a maximum of five years for need of medical interventions due to atrial fibrillation of atrial flutter. New antiarrhythmics such as flecainide are not prescribed during the first month.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2020-02-10
• Study First Submitted: 2020-02-10
• Study First Submitted QC: 2020-02-10
• Study First Posted: 2020-02-12
• Status Verified: 2024-12
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-12-06
• Last Update Posted: 2024-12-12
• Primary Completion: 2026-06
• Study Completion: 2029-06

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 500

Inclusion Criteria

• Patients presenting with acute (<48hours) atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter to ER
• Planned acute rhythm control for the arrhythmia by the attending physician in ER
• Good perceived health as assessed by attending physician in ER
• Resting heart rate 110bpm or lower before or after adequate rate control therapy

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Exclusion Criteria

• Haemodynamically stable (mean arterial pressure above 60mmHg)
• Need for acute restoration of sinus rhythm due to some other somatic cause
• No other major complicating acute illness (e.g. decompensated HF or acute MI)
• Anticoagulation not safe
• Mechanical heart valve or mitral stenosis
• The need for prolonged (>24h) hospitalization due to any cause
• Exceptionally high risk for thromboembolic events (e.g. history of thromboembolic stroke regardless of adequate anticoagulation)
• Transesophageal echocardiography contraindicated

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Elective treatment by delayed cardioversion	Delayed cardioversion	Participants in the elective treatment arm will be returned to sinus rhythm in an out-patient clinic approximately one week after randomizatio unless they convert to sinus rhythm spontaneously.
Conventional treatment by acute cardioversion	Acute cardioversion	Participants in the conventional treatment arm will be returned to sinus rhythm in the emergency department within 48 hours of symptom onset unless they convert to sinus rhythm spontaneously.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Sinus Rhythm	One month after preplanned out-patient clinic visit	Prevalence of sinus rhythm in the treatment arms measured by electrocardiography

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Number of cardioversions after out-patient clinic	One month after out-patient clinic	The number of performed cardioversions (electrical or medical)
Number of cardioversions after emergency department	First week after randomization and before the preplanned out-patient clinic	The number of performed cardioversions (electrical or medical)
Rehospitalization due to cardiovascular causes	One week before and one month after out-patient clinic visit	Rehospitalization due to any cardiovascular cause
Overall number of cardioversions	From randomization to the end of first month follow-up after out-patient clinic visit	The number of performed cardioversions (electrical or medical)
Drop-out from delayed cardioversion group	Four days or earlier after randomization to elective (delayed) treatment group	The number of subjects needing unplanned cardioversion before preplanned out-patient clinic visit (four days or earlier after randomization) due to medical reasons or due to subjectively perceived unbearable symptoms (EHRA III or IV).
Immediate quality of life	First week after randomization and before the preplanned out-patient clinic	Quality of life as assessed by questionnaires depicting quality of life (AFEQT)
Quality of life after out-patient clinic	One month after out-patient clinic	Quality of life as assessed by questionnaires depicting quality of life (AFEQT)

Trial Locations

Locations (4)

Central Finland Central Hospital; 🇫🇮 Jyväskylä, Central Finland, Finland

Kanta-Häme Central Hospital; 🇫🇮 Hämeenlinna, Kanta-Häme, Finland

Tampere University Hospital; 🇫🇮 Tampere, Pirkanmaa, Finland

Päijät-Häme Central Hospital; 🇫🇮 Lahti, Päijät-Häme, Finland