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Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Versus Novel Oral Anticoagulation for Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation

Not Applicable
Recruiting
Conditions
Stroke
Atrial Fibrillation
Interventions
Device: Left atrial appendage occlusion
Drug: NOAC
Registration Number
NCT03642509
Lead Sponsor
University of Aarhus
Brief Summary

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is progressively common, and increases the risk of stroke five-fold. Oral anticoagulation is the mainstay therapy; however, it increases the risk of bleeding. Moreover, 30% with AF and at risk of stroke are not in relevant anticoagulation. The randomized PROTECT-AF trial has demonstrated the superiority of left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) as compared to warfarin for prevention of the combined endpoint of stroke, major bleeding and cardiovascular mortality. However, studies comparing LAAO to therapy with novel oral anticoagulants (NOAC) have not been carried out.

This study aims to assess the effect of left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) to reduce the incidence of stroke, systemic embolism, major bleeding and all-cause mortality in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and a prior ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA).

Detailed Description

An investigator-initiated multicenter, randomized open-label non-inferiority trial with blinded outcome evaluation (PROBE design). The active comparison LAAO is tested against NOAC therapy in a 1:1 stratified randomization. Patients should have AF, and an ischemic stroke or TIA within 6 months prior to enrollment. In total 750 patients will be included. Follow-up will be based on in-office and telephone follow-up during the first 3 years after randomization, along with up to 10 years long-term follow-up through the National Patient Registries.

The main study outcomes: The primary outcome is a composite of stroke (hemorrhagic or ischemic), systemic embolism, major bleeding or all-cause mortality assessed after at least two years follow-up for the last enrolled patient. Secondary outcomes will examine early and late safety outcome measures. The long-term outcome will be assessed up to 10-years after randomization through the National Patient Registries.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
750
Inclusion Criteria
  • Age ≥ 18 years
  • documented non-valvular atrial fibrillation (paroxysmal, persistent or permanent)
  • Eligible for long-term Novel Oral Anticoagulation (NOAC) therapy
  • Ischemic stroke within the recent 6 months verified by neuroimaging, or
  • Transient ischemic attack within 6 months with proven cerebral ischemia based on cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
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Exclusion Criteria
  • Modified rankin scale > 3 at time of enrollment
  • Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) below 15 ml/min/1.73 m2
  • Contraindication towards long-term aspirin therapy
  • Planned combined cardiovascular interventional procedures at the time of enrollment
  • Terminal illness or cancer with life expectancy less than 2 years.
Read More

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
LAAO groupLeft atrial appendage occlusionPatients will be treated with transcatheter left atrial appendage occlusion. The LAAO may be performed with the Amulet or Watchman device.
NOAC groupNOACPatients will be treated with one of the currently available NOAC drugs; Apixaban, Dabigatran, Edoxaban or Rivaroxaban.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Composite endpoint of stroke (ischemic and hemorrhagic), systemic embolism, major bleeding and all-cause mortality.Up to 5-years from randomization

The primary endpoint is the combined rate of stroke, systemic embolism, major bleeding and all-cause mortality.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Incidence of systemic embolism2-, 3-, 5- and 10-years

The occurrence of an acute vascular insufficiency or occlusion of the extremities or any non-CNS organ associated with clinical, imaging, surgical or autopsy evidence of arterial occlusion in the absence of other likely mechanism (e.g. trauma, atherosclerosis, or instrumentation).

Number of patients with technical success2 Months

Exclusion of the left atrial appendage (LAA) achieved without device-related complications and no leak \>5 mm on color Doppler TEE.

Number of patients with a procedure-related complication2 months

All complications related to the LAAO-procedure will be assessed.

Number of patients with peri-device leaks at follow-up imaging2 months

Detection of any peri-device flow/gap at follow-up cardiac CT/TEE.

Compliance to NOAC2-, 3-, 5-, and 10-years

Adherence to assigned NOAC therapy will be assessed through the National Prescription Registries.

Incidence of major or life-threatening bleeding2-, 3-, 5- and 10-years

The occurrence of an overt bleeding associated with one or more of the following: decrease in hemoglobin of at least 3.0 g/dL, transfusion of 2 or more units of blood, causing hospitalization, requiring surgery, causing discontinuation of all antithrombotic therapy or pericardial bleeding with/without tamponade or occurring during the index LAAO procedure or during hospitalization for the index procedure (major bleeding). Life-threatening bleeding is defined as fatal bleeding, causing hypovolaemic shock or severe hypotension requiring vasopressor therapy or intervention, symptomatic bleeding in a critical organ (intracranial, intraspinal, intraocular, intramuscular with compartment syndrome, pericardial bleeding after hospitalization for the index LAAO) or overt bleeding with decrease in hemoglobin ≥ 5 g/dL or requiring transfusion of ≥ 4 units of blood.

Number of patients with a device success2 months

Device deployed and implanted in correct position

Number of patients with procedural success2 months

Technical success and no procedure-related complications, except uncomplicated device embolization (i.e. device embolization resolved by percutaneous retrieval during the procedure without surgical intervention or damage to surrounding cardiovascular structures).

Changes in neurological status based on National Institute of Health (NIH) Stroke scale score12 months

Assessed by the NIH stroke scale at baseline and 12 month follow-up. A scale to quantify the neurological impairment caused by a stroke. It includes 11 items, each of which scores a specific ability between 0 to 4. For each item, a score of 0 typically indicates normal function in that specific ability, while a higher score is indicative of some level of impairment. The individual scores are summed to calculate the total NIH Stroke Scale score, that can range from 0 to 42, with 0 being no symptoms.

* Score 0: No stroke symptoms

* Score 1-4: Minor stroke

* Score 5-15: Moderate stroke

* Score 16-20: Moderate to severe stroke

* Score 21-42: Severe stroke

Incidence of ischemic stroke2-, 3-, 5- and 10-years

The occurrence of an acute onset of a focal neurological deficit of presumed vascular origin lasting for ≥ 24 hours or resulting in death. Stroke is categorized as ischemic based on computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain or autopsy.

Incidence of hemorrhagic stroke2-, 3-, 5- and 10-years

The occurrence of an acute onset of a focal neurological deficit of presumed vascular origin lasting for ≥ 24 hours or resulting in death. Stroke is categorized as hemorrhagic based on computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain or autopsy.

Incidence of all-cause mortality2-, 3-, 5- and 10-years

The occurrence of death from any cause

Incidence of Transient ischemic attack (TIA)2-, 3-, 5- and 10-years

an episode of neurological dysfunction caused by focal brain, spinal cord or retinal ischemia leading to symptoms lasting less than 24 hours, without acute infarction based on neuroimaging.

Number of patients with a device-related complication2 months

A complication related to the presence of the device. Device-related complications include:

* Device embolization

* Device erosion

* Clinically significant device interference with surrounding structures. This includes structures at the implant location (circumflex coronary artery, mitral valve, pulmonary artery, pulmonary vein) or cardiovascular structures in the vicinity of the location to which the device migrated (if applicable).

* Device thrombus

* Device fracture

* Device infection/endocarditis/pericarditis

* Device perforation/laceration

* Device allergy

Changes in Quality of life12 months

Based on patient self-reported EuroQol-5D questionnaires. The EuroQol-5D is a standardized instrument to measure health-related quality of life. It includes five self-rated dimensions of mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. The questionnaire have 3 levels of severity for each of the five dimensions. It also includes a visual scale from 0 (worst thinkable health condition) to 100 (best thinkable health condition) to report an overall measure.

Changes in functional status based on Modified Rankin Scale24 months

The Modified Rankin scale is used to measure the degree of disability or dependence in daily activities caused by a stroke. The scale runs from 0-6, from no symptoms (0) to death (6).

Trial Locations

Locations (15)

Oulu University Hospital

🇫🇮

Oulu, Finland

Turku University Hospital

🇫🇮

Turku, Finland

Jena University Hospital

🇩🇪

Jena, Germany

Oslo University Hospital

🇳🇴

Oslo, Norway

Trondheim University Hospital

🇳🇴

Trondheim, Norway

Sahlgrenska University Hospital

🇸🇪

Göteborg, Sweden

Karolinska University Hospital

🇸🇪

Stockholm, Sweden

Skånes University Hospital

🇸🇪

Lund, Sweden

Aalborg University Hospital

🇩🇰

Aalborg, The North Denmark Region, Denmark

Rigshospitalet

🇩🇰

Copenhagen, Denmark

Regional Hospital West Jutland

🇩🇰

Holstebro, Denmark

Haukeland University Hospital

🇳🇴

Bergen, Norway

Helsinki University Central Hospital

🇫🇮

Helsinki, Finland

Odense University Hospital

🇩🇰

Odense, Region Of Southern Denmark, Denmark

Aarhus University Hospital

🇩🇰

Aarhus, Central Denmark Region, Denmark

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