Long-term outcomeS of cavotrIcuspid isthMus-dePendent fLuttEr Ablation: Single vs Double Catheter Procedure

Long-term outcomeS of cavotrIcuspid isthMus-dePendent fLuttEr Ablation: Randomized Study Comparing Single vs Double Catheter Procedure

Catheter ablation is recommended as first-line therapy for most patients with typical atrial flutter. The most common approach is to create an ablation line across the cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI). Traditionally, atrial flutter ablation has been performed with a conventional approach using two catheters, an ablation catheter and a duodecapolar catheter that is placed at the level of the tricuspid annulus to confirm the CTI block. Recently, a single catheter approach has been described using the behavior of PR interval change during differential pacing over the ablation line to prove CTI block. This prospective, randomized, multicenter study analyzes the effectivity of a single catheter approach compared with conventional approach in terms of clinical outcomes.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Atrial Flutter
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Traditional approach; Procedure: Single catheter approach

Detailed Description

Typical atrial flutter is a reentrant rhythm in the right atrium that is constrained anteriorly by the tricuspid annulus and posteriorly by the crista terminalis and eustachian ridge. Catheter ablation is the first-line therapy for most patients with typical atrial flutter. The most common approach is to create an ablation line across the CTI, from the tricuspid annulus to the inferior vena cava. Traditionally, atrial flutter ablation has been performed with a conventional approach using two catheters, an ablation catheter and a duodecapolar catheter that is placed at the level of the tricuspid annulus that allows to evaluate the right atrial activation sequence to confirm the CTI block. Recently, a single catheter approach has been described using the behavior of PR interval (PRI) change during differential pacing over the ablation line to prove CTI block. The PRIs is measured for three different pacing site, 5 o'clock (medial to CTI line), 7 o'clock (lateral to CTI line), and 9 o'clock position. CTI block was assumed when the PRI at 7 o'clock was >80ms longer than that at pacing sites of 5 o'clock and the PRI at 9 o'clock was shorter than the PRI at 7 o'clock. However, a direct comparison between this approach and the conventional one was not yet performed. This prospective, randomized, multicenter study analyzes the effectivity of a single catheter approach compared with conventional approach in terms of clinical outcomes. Our research hypothesis is that a single catheter approach has the possible advantages of being a faster, more efficient and cheaper procedure than the conventional approach. Moreover, as it only requires a single venous access, the risk of complications is decreased.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 253
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Antonio Berruezo, MD, PhD; Phone Number: (+34) 93 290 62 51; Email: antonio.berruezo@quironsalud.es

Study Locations

• Spain
  • Barcelona, Spain, 08022
    • Centro Medico Teknon
  • Cadiz, Spain
    • Puerta del Mar University Hospital
  • Sevilla, Spain
    • Virgen del Rocío University Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients admitted at any of the centers to perform a CTI ablation.
• Signed informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Age < 18 years.
• Pregnancy.
• Impossibility to perform CTI ablation.
• Impossibility to measure PRI (complete atrioventricular block).
• Ablation of other cardiac arrhythmias during the same procedure.
• Medical, geographical and social factors that make study participation impractical, and inability to give written informed consent. Patient's refusal to participate in the study.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Group A; Double venous femoral access will be obtained. A duodecapolar catheter placed around tricuspid annulus will be used to prove isthmus block after CTI ablation.	Procedure: Traditional approach; Double venous femoral access will be obtained. A duodecapolar catheter will be positioned in the right atrium around the tricuspid valve annulus (TVA) to record activation sequence around the tricuspid annulus. An ablation catheter will be positioned using fluoroscopic guidance in the central CTI, 6 o'clock in a left anterior oblique view. The distal ablation electrode position will then be adjusted toward or away from the TVA, based on the ratio of atrial and ventricular electrogram amplitudes with an optimal ratio of 1:2 or 1:4 at the TVA. After the ablation catheter is positioned, it will be very slowly withdrawn during ablation toward the inferior vena cava while radiofrequency energy is applied continuously. CTI block will be evaluated after ablation by determining the right atrial activation sequence during pacing from the low lateral right atrium and coronary sinus ostium.
Experimental: Group B; Ablation will be performed similar as described in the Group A. After the ablation line is over, PRI on the surface ECG will be used to prove isthmus block after CTI ablation.	Procedure: Single catheter approach; Single venous femoral access will be obtained and the ablation will be performed similar to Group A. After the ablation line is over, we will confirm CTI block using the PRI. During atrial pacing (10 V, 1.5 ms) at a stable cycle length (range 500-700ms) from the tip of the ablation catheter with a sweep speed of 300mm/s, the ablation catheter will be placed first at 5 o'clock (medial to CTI line), then at 7 o'clock (lateral to CTI line), and finally at 9 o'clock position, and the corresponding PRIs will be measured for each pacing site. CTI block is assumed when: (i) the PRI at 7 o'clock is >80ms longer than that at pacing sites of 5, and (ii) the PRI at 9 o'clock is shorter than the PRI at 7 o'clock.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Clinical outcomes	The recurrence rate of typical atrial flutter at 6 months post cavotricuspid isthmus ablation will be evaluated in both groups to determine if the single catheter approach is non-inferior when compared to traditional approach using two catheters.	6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Efficiency in total procedure time	The total procedure time time will be measured in both groups to determine if the single catheter approach is more efficient procedure.	6 months
Efficiency in ablation time	The ablation time will be measured in both groups to determine if the single catheter approach is more efficient procedure.	6 months
Efficiency in fluoroscopy time	The fluoroscopy time will be measured in both groups to determine if the single catheter approach is more efficient procedure.	6 months
Complications	We will compare the complication rate of both approaches.	6 months
Cost-effectiveness	We will perform a cost-effectiveness analysis.	6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Centro Medico Teknon
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Antonio Berruezo, MD, PhD, Centro Medico Teknon

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Feld GK, Fleck RP, Chen PS, Boyce K, Bahnson TD, Stein JB, Calisi CM, Ibarra M. Radiofrequency catheter ablation for the treatment of human type 1 atrial flutter. Identification of a critical zone in the reentrant circuit by endocardial mapping techniques. Circulation. 1992 Oct;86(4):1233-40. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.86.4.1233.
• Cosio FG, Lopez-Gil M, Goicolea A, Arribas F, Barroso JL. Radiofrequency ablation of the inferior vena cava-tricuspid valve isthmus in common atrial flutter. Am J Cardiol. 1993 Mar 15;71(8):705-9. doi: 10.1016/0002-9149(93)91014-9.
• Lesh MD, Van Hare GF, Epstein LM, Fitzpatrick AP, Scheinman MM, Lee RJ, Kwasman MA, Grogin HR, Griffin JC. Radiofrequency catheter ablation of atrial arrhythmias. Results and mechanisms. Circulation. 1994 Mar;89(3):1074-89. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.89.3.1074.
• Page RL, Joglar JA, Caldwell MA, Calkins H, Conti JB, Deal BJ, Estes NA III, Field ME, Goldberger ZD, Hammill SC, Indik JH, Lindsay BD, Olshansky B, Russo AM, Shen WK, Tracy CM, Al-Khatib SM. 2015 ACC/AHA/HRS guideline for the management of adult patients with supraventricular tachycardia: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Heart Rhythm Society. Heart Rhythm. 2016 Apr;13(4):e136-221. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2015.09.019. Epub 2015 Sep 25. No abstract available.
• Shah DC, Takahashi A, Jais P, Hocini M, Clementy J, Haissaguerre M. Local electrogram-based criteria of cavotricuspid isthmus block. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol. 1999 May;10(5):662-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-8167.1999.tb00243.x.
• Madaffari A, Krisai P, Spies F, Knecht S, Schaer B, Kojic D, Kuhne M, Sticherling C, Osswald S. Ablation of typical atrial flutter guided by the paced PR interval on the surface electrocardiogram: a proof of concept study. Europace. 2019 Nov 1;21(11):1750-1754. doi: 10.1093/europace/euz208.
• Calkins H, Canby R, Weiss R, Taylor G, Wells P, Chinitz L, Milstein S, Compton S, Oleson K, Sherfesee L, Onufer J; 100W Atakr II Investigator Group. Results of catheter ablation of typical atrial flutter. Am J Cardiol. 2004 Aug 15;94(4):437-42. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2004.04.058.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 16, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 30, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): November 30, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 13, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 12, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): July 16, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 30, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 29, 2023
• Last Verified: August 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Catheter ablation; Atrial flutter; Single catheter approach
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Heart Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Arrhythmias, Cardiac; Atrial Flutter
• Other Study ID Numbers: SIMPLE

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