TRanscatheter Aortic-Valve Implantation With or Without On-site Cardiac Surgery: the TRACS Trial (TRACS)

April 3, 2026 updated by: Azienda Usl di Bologna
The primary efficacy objective is to determine whether a TAVI procedure performed by experienced operators in centers without on-site cardiac surgery is noninferior to TAVI procedure performed by the same operators in centers with on-site cardiac surgery in terms of all-cause death, stroke and rehospitalization for cardiovascular cause. The primary safety objective is to demonstrate that mortality associated with periprocedural complications actionable by emergent cardiac surgery did not differ between study arms.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

TRACS is an all-comer, prospective, randomized, multicenter, open-label trial with blinded adjudicated evaluation of outcomes (PROBE). The TRACS trial will involve centers without on-site cardiac surgery, but with experienced operators already performing TAVI at the referring center with on-site cardiac surgery. Thus, participating centers and their study TAVI operators must follow selective criteria for eligibility. Participants will be recruited after Heart Team indication to TAVI procedure. The eligibility of each single patient to the study MUST BE CONFIRMED and VALIDATED by unanimous decision of the Heart Team. Study patients will be randomized in a 2:1 fashion to TAVI procedure performed by the same experienced operators either in the center without on-site cardiac surgery or in the referring center with on-site cardiac surgery.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
657

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Italy
      • Arezzo, Italy
        • Ospedale San Donato di Arezzo
      • Asti, Italy
        • Ospedale Cardinal Massaia di Asti
      • Biella, Italy
        • Ospedale degli Infermi di Biella
      • Ferrara, Italy
        • Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria di Ferrara
      • Forlì, Italy
        • Ospedale "Morgagni - Pierantoni" di Forlì
      • Grosseto, Italy
        • Ospedale Misericordia di Grosseto
      • Mirano, Italy
        • Azienda ULSS 3 Serenissima, Ospedale di Mirano
      • Modena, Italy
        • Ospedale Civile di Baggiovara
      • Piacenza, Italy
        • Ospedale Guglielmo da Saliceto di Piacenza
      • Ravenna, Italy
        • Ospedale Santa Maria Delle Croci
      • Reggio Emilia, Italy
        • Azienda Ospedaliera di Reggio Emilia
      • Rimini, Italy
        • Ospedale infermi di Rimini
      • Venezia, Italy
        • Ospedale Civile di Venezia SS Giovanni e Paolo
    • Bologna
      • Bologna, Bologna, Italy, 40100
        • Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Severe aortic stenosis
  • Indication to TAVI confirmed by the Study Heart Team

AND one of the following:

  • Inoperable due to prohibitive operative risk
  • High surgical risk as defined as STS score >8%

The presence of at least one clinical factor that, by unanimous judgment of the Study Heart Team, compromises the benefit/risk ratio in the case of emergent cardiac surgery:

  • Porcelain aorta or severely atherosclerotic aorta
  • Frailty/Reduced physical performance
  • Cognitive impairment, dementia, or Parkinson's disease
  • Severe liver disease/cirrhosis
  • Hostile chest
  • Internal mammalian artery or other critical conduit(s) crossing midline and/or adhering to the posterior table of the sternum
  • Severe pulmonary hypertension and/or severe right ventricular dysfunction
  • Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
  • Age ≥85 years

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Unsuitable for transfemoral TAVI
  • Emergent TAVI
  • Noncardiovascular comorbidity reducing life expectancy to <1 year
  • Any factor precluding 1-year follow-up
  • Refusal informed consent

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: CONTROL ARM: TAVI WITH ON-SITE SURGERY
After randomization, the patient will immediately be placed on the waiting list of the referring center with on-site cardiac surgery. Study TAVI operators of the participating center will perform the TAVI procedure in the hospital with on-site surgery according to the waiting list schedule of the latter
Procedure: TAVI WITH ON-SITE SURGERY
After randomization, the patient will immediately be placed on the waiting list of the referring center with on-site cardiac surgery. Study TAVI operators of the participating center will perform the TAVI procedure in the hospital with on-site surgery according to the waiting list schedule of the latter
Experimental: EXPERIMENTAL ARM: TAVI WITHOUT ON-SITE SURGERY
After randomization, study TAVI operators of the participating center will schedule the patient for TAVI in their hospital without on-site surgery
Procedure: TAVI WITHOUT ON-SITE SURGERY
After randomization, study TAVI operators of the participating center will schedule the patient for TAVI in their hospital without on-site surgery

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Primary efficacy endpoint
Time Frame: 1-year
1-year cumulative occurrence of all-cause death, stroke and hospital readmission for CV cause To test if the outcome of TAVI procedures performed by experienced operators in the center without onsite cardiac surgery is non inferior to that of TAVI procedures performed by the same team in the center with on-site cardiac surgery
1-year
Primary safety endpoint
Time Frame: 1-year
To test whether mortality due to periprocedural complications actionable by emergent cardiac surgery differs between the TAVI procedures performed in the center without on-site cardiac surgery and the TAVI procedures performed by the same team in the center with on-site cardiac surgery
1-year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Secondary efficacy endpoints
Time Frame: 1-year
All-cause death Cardiovascular death Myocardial infarction Hospital admission for cardiovascular cause Hospital admission for heart failure Cerebrovascular accident Ischemic stroke Hospital admission for pneumonia (± respiratory failure) Need for balloon aortic valvuloplasty for emergent condition Quality of life measured with the Eq-5D and KCCQ-12 scales Time spent on the waiting list before TAVI
1-year
Other safety endpoints
Time Frame: 1-year
Cardiac tamponade Bleeding Kidney failure (requirement for renal replacement therapy) Severe aortic regurgitation (aortic regurgitation according to current guidelines) Multiorgan failure (failure of at least two organ systems) Vascular access site and access related complications Conduction disturbances and arrhythmias Endocarditis Valve thrombosis Valve malpositioning Valve embolization Ectopic valve deployment TAV-in-TAV deployment
1-year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Azienda Usl di Bologna

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
University Hospital of Ferrara
Azienda USL Reggio Emilia - IRCCS

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Gianmarco Iannopollo, MD, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale Bologna, Bologna

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 1, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
March 31, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
March 31, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 21, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 21, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 2, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 8, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 3, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 40-2023-SPER-AUSLBO

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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