Left Atrial Pressure-Guided Heart Failure Optimization During Atrial Fibrillation Ablation (LAP AF-HF) (LAP AF-HF)

May 17, 2026 updated by: Marcie G. Berger, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin

A Left Atrial Pressure-Triggered Pathway for Heart Failure Therapy Optimization at Atrial Fibrillation Ablation

This study examines whether measuring blood pressure inside the left upper chamber of the heart during a procedure to treat an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation can help identify patients who would benefit from heart failure medications. During atrial fibrillation ablation, a catheter crosses into the left atrium, allowing direct measurement of left atrial pressure. When the pressure is elevated (15 mmHg or higher), it may indicate that the heart is under strain from unrecognized or undertreated heart failure. Patients with elevated left atrial pressure during ablation are referred for heart failure evaluation and medication optimization within 24 hours of the procedure. The study compares outcomes in these patients to a group of patients who had the same elevated pressures but received standard care without a structured heart failure evaluation. The study measures whether the heart failure treatment pathway leads to greater use of recommended heart failure medications, improvements in heart pumping function and heart chamber size, and reduction in irregular heartbeat episodes over the following year

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

Single-center prospective pathway study with historical standard-care controls at the Medical College of Wisconsin/Froedtert Hospital. Consecutive patients undergoing catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation with intraprocedural mean left atrial pressure of 15 mmHg or greater measured at transseptal puncture are enrolled. Prospective Pathway patients (2024-2025) receive heart failure consultation within 24 hours and structured guideline-directed medical therapy optimization. Historical controls (2022-2023) met identical procedural and hemodynamic criteria but received standard post-ablation care. Guideline-directed medical therapy implementation is quantified serially through 180 days using a guideline adherence index. Echocardiographic remodeling is assessed at 3 to 18 months. Atrial fibrillation burden is assessed by clinically directed rhythm monitoring beyond a 90-day blanking period.

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.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

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.
300

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Wisconsin
      • Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, 53226
        • Heart and Vascular Center - Center for Advanced Care - Froedtert Hospital

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adults undergoing catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation at Froedtert Hospital, Medical College of Wisconsin, with intraprocedural mean left atrial pressure of 15 mmHg or greater measured immediately after transseptal puncture. The study includes a prospective pathway cohort (2024 onwards) and a historical standard-care cohort (2022-2023) meeting the same procedural and hemodynamic criteria.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Referred and presented for catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation
  • Able to provide written informed consent
  • Intraprocedural mean left atrial pressure 15 mmHg or greater measured immediately after transseptal puncture -- Written informed consent (prospective cohort 2024- onwards) or institutional review board waiver of consent (historical cohort 2022-2023)

Exclusion Criteria:

- No additional exclusion criteria

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
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.
LAP-Triggered Pathway
Patients undergoing atrial fibrillation ablation with intraprocedural mean left atrial pressure of 15 mmHg or greater enrolled prospectively (2024-onwards). Referred for heart failure consultation within 24 hours of ablation with structured guideline-directed medical therapy optimization targeting phenotype-appropriate therapy.
Behavioral: LAP-Triggered Heart Failure Optimization Pathway
Structured heart failure consultation within 24 hours of atrial fibrillation ablation triggered by intraprocedural mean left atrial pressure of 15 mmHg or greater. Consultation includes review of cardiac history, volume status assessment, echocardiographic review, and individualized guideline-directed medical therapy recommendations based on left ventricular ejection fraction phenotype. Final prescribing decisions rest with the treating clinical team
Standard of Care Controls
Historical cohort (2022-2023) of consecutive patients who underwent atrial fibrillation ablation with intraprocedural mean left atrial pressure of 15 mmHg or greater. Received standard post-ablation care without protocolized heart failure consultation or left atrial pressure-triggered medication optimization.

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
Hierarchical Composite Clinical-Remodeling Outcome Assessed by Win Ratio
Time Frame: Up to 36 months.
Three-tier hierarchical composite analyzed by unmatched win ratio. Tier 1: cardiovascular death within 3 years of ablation. Tier 2: heart failure hospitalization within 3 years of ablation. Tier 3: echocardiographic response defined as absolute increase in left ventricular ejection fraction of 10 percentage points or more from baseline to protocol-window follow-up echocardiogram at 3 to 18 months.
Up to 36 months.

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
Guideline Adherence Index
Time Frame: Up to 36 months.
Number of heart failure medication classes prescribed divided by the number of classes for which the patient has a guideline-supported indication and no documented contraindication. Ranges from 0 to 1 with higher values indicating greater adherence.
Up to 36 months.
Guideline Adherence Index Area Under the Curve
Time Frame: Up to 36 months.
Time-weighted cumulative guideline adherence calculated from serial medication assessments at baseline, discharge, and scheduled follow-up intervals. Higher values indicate greater sustained guideline-directed medical therapy implementation over time.
Up to 36 months.
Change in Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction From Baseline
Time Frame: Up to 36 months.
Left ventricular ejection fraction measured by biplane Simpson method on transthoracic echocardiography per American Society of Echocardiography recommendations. Reported as absolute change in percentage points from baseline.
Up to 36 months.
Change in Left Atrial Volume Index From Baseline
Time Frame: Up to 36 months.
Left atrial volume indexed to body surface area measured by biplane area-length method on transthoracic echocardiography per American Society of Echocardiography recommendations. Reported as absolute change in mL/m2 from baseline.
Up to 36 months.
Right Ventricular Function and Right Ventricular-Pulmonary Artery Coupling.
Time Frame: Up to 36 months.
Composite right ventricular assessment including tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion in centimeters, tricuspid annular systolic velocity in centimeters per second, tricuspid regurgitation peak velocity in meters per second, and the ratio of tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion to tricuspid regurgitation peak pressure gradient. Each parameter reported as change from baseline.
Up to 36 months.
Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence and Burden After Blanking Period
Time Frame: Up to 12 month.
Atrial fibrillation recurrence defined as any episode of atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, or atrial tachycardia lasting more than 30 seconds documented beyond a 90-day blanking period. Atrial fibrillation burden defined as percentage of time spent in atrial fibrillation ascertained from cardiac implantable electronic device, implantable loop recorder, or ambulatory monitoring. Both reported as post-blanking outcomes.
Up to 12 month.

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Incidence of Clinically Significant Hyperkalemia
Time Frame: Up to 36 months.
Serum potassium greater than 5.5 mmol/L at any assessment point.
Up to 36 months.
Acute Kidney Injury per KDIGO Criteria
Time Frame: Up to 36 months.
Acute kidney injury defined by Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes criteria following guideline-directed medical therapy initiation.
Up to 36 months.
GDMT Discontinuation Rate
Time Frame: Up to 36 months.
Proportion of patients newly initiated on sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor or mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist who discontinued therapy.
Up to 36 months.
Cardiovascular Death
Time Frame: Up to 36 months.
Death adjudicated as cardiovascular in origin by two physician investigators blinded to study group assignment with disagreements resolved by a third investigator.
Up to 36 months.
All-Cause Mortality
Time Frame: Up to 36 months.
Death from any cause ascertained from the electronic medical record and cross-verified with the Social Security Death Index.
Up to 36 months.
Heart Failure Hospitalization
Time Frame: Up to 36 months.
Admission exceeding 24 hours with a primary discharge diagnosis of heart failure and treatment with intravenous diuretics, vasodilators, or inotropes, in accordance with standardized cardiovascular endpoint definitions.
Up to 36 months.
Composite of Heart Failure Hospitalization or All-Cause Death
Time Frame: Up to 36 months.
First occurrence of heart failure hospitalization or death from any cause, whichever occurs first.
Up to 36 months.

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.
Medical College of Wisconsin

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: Alexander A Ivanov, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin
  • Principal Investigator: Marcie MD Berger, Medical College of Wisconsin

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.
February 12, 2024

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.
December 31, 2029

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.
December 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).
May 10, 2026

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.
May 17, 2026

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.
May 19, 2026

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.
May 19, 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.
May 17, 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.
May 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.
  • PRO00047951

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified individual participant data will be made available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author beginning 24 months after publication

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Beginning 24 months after publication of the primary manuscript and available for 12 months.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal directed to irb@mcw.edu. Requestors will be required to sign a data access agreement. Data will be provided in a de-identified format.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF
  • ANALYTIC_CODE

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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