Oxytocin Effects on Cardiac Electrophysiology

June 21, 2016 updated by: William Whang

Pilot Study of Intranasal Oxytocin and Cardiac Electrophysiology in Humans

In this pilot study the investigators will perform a double-blind randomized trial of intranasal oxytocin on measures of cardiac refractoriness, among individuals who are undergoing clinically indicated catheter ablation procedures for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. The investigators seek to enroll 20 patients for this study, for the purpose of estimating effect sizes for a larger future study.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Despite widespread advances in the treatment of coronary artery disease and the growing use of automated external defibrillators and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) to treat ventricular arrhythmias, sudden cardiac death (SCD) due to ventricular arrhythmia remains a major public health problem. National estimates of SCD or out-of- hospital cardiac arrest range from 400,000 to 450,000 events annually. Although cardiac mortality rates have declined over time, the proportion of cardiac deaths that are sudden has increased during a time when major advances in device therapy for the prevention and treatment of SCD have taken place. This unfavorable trend is a consequence of the inability to accurately identify those who will die suddenly from a lethal ventricular arrhythmia and to disseminate effective preventive strategies for populations at risk.

Observational evidence has indicated that depression is associated with risk of SCD, both in patients with coronary artery disease as well as in individuals without heart disease. In patients with ICDs, depressive symptoms are associated with increased risk of shocks for ventricular arrhythmia, suggesting that ventricular arrhythmia is more common in depressed individuals. A leading candidate mechanism that may account for the association between depression and ventricular arrhythmia involves cardiac autonomic dysfunction; for instance, multiple studies have shown that depressed individuals have abnormal heart rate variability.

Recent evidence has emerged about the potential importance of oxytocin in the cardiovascular response to stress and depression. Oxytocin is a 9-amino acid peptide that is produced in the hypothalamus and released into the central nervous system and the bloodstream. Oxytocin has both hormone and neurotransmitter function, and affects targets including the hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, brainstem, heart, uterus, and regions of the spinal cord that regulate the autonomic nervous system. Polymorphisms of the oxytocin receptor have been associated with improved cardiovascular responses to laboratory stress in humans.

Exogenous administration of intravenous oxytocin in a prairie vole model of isolation has been shown to protect against the heart rate response to social isolation and to improve heart rate variability. In addition, intranasal oxytocin administered to humans augments both sympathetic and parasympathetic modulation of the heart rate. Initial studies of intravenous oxytocin demonstrated direct effects on cardiac arrhythmias in animal models, even including termination of ventricular fibrillation, suggestive of a quinidine-like action on myocardial excitability. However, administration of intravenous oxytocin in women after delivery has been associated with abnormalities in cardiac repolarization and even with induced ventricular arrhythmia. Therefore, although there is reason to believe that administration of exogenous oxytocin may affect the probability of arrhythmia, the direction of this impact is unclear.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

12

Phase

  • Early Phase 1

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
    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10032
        • Columbia University Medical Center

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

14 years to 81 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Males and females older than 18 and younger than 85 years of age
  • Undergoing catheter ablation for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation
  • Presenting in sinus rhythm at the time of their procedure

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Left ventricular ejection fraction <0.40
  • Paced rhythm >50 percent of the time by device interrogation if a pacemaker is present

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: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Oxytocin
Patients will be administered an intranasal dose of the study drug, 20 IU oxytocin. Repeat electrophysiologic measurements will be assessed at 15 minutes and 30 minutes after administration of the study medication/placebo. During the waiting periods in between the electrophysiologic measurements, we will continue with the standard protocol for an AF ablation, including transseptal puncture and left atrial mapping, performed prior to initiation of general anesthesia and actual delivery of ablation lesions. This 'preablation' period normally takes 45 minutes to one hour.
Drug: Oxytocin
Intranasal dose of 20 IU oxytocin
Other Names:
  • Pitocin
Placebo Comparator: Saline
Patients will be administered an intranasal dose of saline. Repeat electrophysiologic measurements will be assessed at 15 minutes and 30 minutes after administration of the study medication/placebo. During the waiting periods in between the electrophysiologic measurements, we will continue with the standard protocol for an AF ablation, including transseptal puncture and left atrial mapping, performed prior to initiation of general anesthesia and actual delivery of ablation lesions. This 'preablation' period normally takes 45 minutes to one hour.
Other: Saline
Intranasal dose of saline

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Electrophysiology Measure of AH Interval
Time Frame: Baseline and 30 min
First measured at time zero, then at 30 minutes after administration of the study medication/placebo. During the waiting periods in between the electrophysiologic measurements, the investigators will continue with the standard protocol for an AF ablation, including transseptal puncture and left atrial mapping, performed prior to initiation of general anesthesia and actual delivery of ablation lesions. This 'pre- ablation' period normally takes 45 minutes to one hour.
Baseline and 30 min
Change in Electrophysiology Measure of HV Interval
Time Frame: Baseline and 30 min
First measured at time zero, then at 30 minutes after administration of the study medication/placebo. During the waiting periods in between the electrophysiologic measurements, the investigators will continue with the standard protocol for an AF ablation, including transseptal puncture and left atrial mapping, performed prior to initiation of general anesthesia and actual delivery of ablation lesions. This 'pre- ablation' period normally takes 45 minutes to one hour.
Baseline and 30 min
Change in Electrophysiology Measure of Right Ventricular Refractory Period
Time Frame: Baseline and 30 min
First measured at time zero, then at 30 minutes after administration of the study medication/placebo. During the waiting periods in between the electrophysiologic measurements, the investigators will continue with the standard protocol for an AF ablation, including transseptal puncture and left atrial mapping, performed prior to initiation of general anesthesia and actual delivery of ablation lesions. This 'pre- ablation' period normally takes 45 minutes to one hour.
Baseline and 30 min

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

William Whang

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: William Whang, MD, Columbia University

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

January 1, 2013

Primary Completion (Actual)

May 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

May 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 29, 2013

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 30, 2013

First Posted (Estimate)

January 31, 2013

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

July 21, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 21, 2016

Last Verified

June 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • AAAC7383

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

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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