StatSeal vs Figure-of-Eight Suture for Vascular Closure in AF Ablation

December 22, 2025 updated by: Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust

This study, titled aims to compare two vascular closure techniques after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF). Catheter ablation is a common procedure used to treat AF, but after the procedure, It is important to close the access site in the blood vessel to prevent bleeding. This study will evaluate whether the StatSeal device, a haemostatic disc, can help patients recover more quickly compared to the traditional figure-of-eight suture technique.

The primary objective of the study is to determine whether StatSeal reduces the time it takes for patients to start walking after the procedure (known as Time to Ambulation). Secondary objectives include comparing the time to complete haemostasis, discharge eligibility, incidence of adverse events, and patient comfort between the two techniques.

Participants in the study will be randomly assigned to receive either the StatSeal device or the figure-of-eight suture after their AF ablation procedure. The study will recruit 160 participants across multiple hospital sites, with 80 participants in each group. Both techniques are standard methods, and participants will be closely monitored for safety throughout the study.

By comparing these two closure techniques, the study aims to improve the recovery process for patients undergoing AF ablation and provide evidence on which method leads to better outcomes and patient experiences.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

160

Phase

  • 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 Locations

      • Eastbourne, United Kingdom, BN21 2UD
        • East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
      • Norwich, United Kingdom, NR4 7UY
        • Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital
    • Essex
      • Basildon, Essex, United Kingdom, SS16 5NL
        • The Essex Cardiothoracic Centre

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Male and female patients age >18
  • Elective catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation using a 6 to 14 Fr inner diameter introducer sheath with a minimum of 1 and maximum of 3 femoral venous access sites
  • Willing and able to give informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Active systemic or cutaneous infection, or inflammation in vicinity of the groin
  • Platelet count < 100,000 cells/mm3
  • BMI > 45 kg/m2 or < 20 kg/m2
  • Attempted femoral arterial access or inadvertent arterial puncture
  • Procedural complications that interfered with routine recovery, ambulation, or discharge times
  • Incorrect sheath placement
  • Intraprocedural bleeding or thrombotic complications
  • Access site-specific eligibility criteria to exclude problems with gaining access or location of sheath
  • History of bleeding diathesis, coagulopathy, hypercoagulability, or thromboembolic events

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: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Statseal
This group shall receive the StatSeal device for vascular closure
This is a vascular closure device which works independently of the clotting cascade to seal access sites
Active Comparator: Figure of eight suture
This group shall receive the figure of eight suture (attached to a three-way stopcock) for vascular closure
The figure of eight suture is commonly used for vascular access closure

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Time to ambulation (TTA) after sheath removal
Time Frame: 1 day
Time to ambulation is defined as the elapsed time between removal of the final sheath and the moment when the patient can stand and walk 20 feet without evidence of venous re-bleeding from the femoral access site.
1 day

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Time to haemostasis
Time Frame: 1 day
time elapsed between removal of the vascular sheath and first observed and confirmed venous haemostasis, for each access site
1 day
Time to discharge eligibility
Time Frame: 1 day
time elapsed between removal of the final sheath and when the patient is eligible for hospital discharge based solely on the assessment of the access site, as determined by the medical team
1 day
Time to discharge
Time Frame: 1 day
time elapsed between removal of the final sheath and when the patient was discharged from the institution
1 day
Incidence of major periprocedural adverse events
Time Frame: 1 day
defined as adverse events until hospital discharge requiring medical intervention.
1 day
Incidence of major adverse events
Time Frame: 30 days
Major adverse events are defined as complications requiring medical intervention or hospitalisation
30 days
Incidence of minor adverse events
Time Frame: 30 days
Minor adverse events are defined as AEs not requiring medical intervention.
30 days
Comparison of EuroQol EQ-5D-5L
Time Frame: 30 days
Comparison of EuroQol 5-level EQ-5D score. The score is made up of two parts: the EQ-5D descriptive system and the EQ visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS). The first part covers five dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. Each dimension offers five response options (no problems, slight problems, moderate problems, severe problems, and extreme problems), from which an EQ-5D index score is calculated, ranging from 0 (death) to 1 (perfect health). The EQ-VAS assesses an individual's self-perceived health for the day on a vertical scale from 0 (worst imaginable health) to 100 (best imaginable health), where participants mark their current health status.
30 days

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

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)

January 3, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 12, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 1, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 3, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

October 4, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

December 23, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 22, 2025

Last Verified

January 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 348992

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

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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.