Specific Electrophenotypes in Atrial Fibrillation (INSPECT-AF)

February 19, 2026 updated by: Imperial College London

IdeNtification of SPecific EleCTrophenotypes in Atrial Fibrillation

This study will investigate a common heart rhythm disturbance (arrhythmia), atrial fibrillation (AF), to improve understanding of how best to treat it in different patients. Direct current cardioversion (DCCV) is a procedure that can revert the heart to a normal rhythm, however almost all patients will only have a transient benefit, and their heart will return to the abnormal rhythm, AF. Ablation is an invasive procedure that creates scar tissue within the heart to reduce the arrhythmias, with a longer lasting effect than DCCV. It has been used with success in AF that occurs occasionally (paroxysmal) but is not as effective in AF that is more long-lasting, also known as persistent AF. Persistent AF is major cause of symptoms of breathlessness and palpitations and significantly increases the risk of stroke. Doctors are unable to accurately predict which patients will benefit most from an ablation, this can lead to as many as 50% of patients not benefitting from the procedure. The aim is to better predict which patients will benefit from an ablation. The study will include patients undergoing AF ablation or DCCV and perform additional tests including blood tests a heart MRI scan, a special type of heart tracing with up to 252 points and a short period of extra recordings from within the heart during the ablation procedure. Several techniques will be used to analyse this data, including machine learning, to develop a means predict which patients will benefit the most from the ablation procedure, without needing to use any recordings from within the heart.

Study Overview

Status

Terminated

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

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 Kingdom
      • London, United Kingdom
        • Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

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

18 years to 85 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients undergoing direct current cardioversion (DCCV) or catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Suitable candidate for catheter mapping/ablation for arrhythmias or direct current cardioversion for atrial fibrillation
  • Signed Informed Consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe cerebrovascular disease
  • Moderate to severe renal impairment (eGFR < 30)
  • Active gastrointestinal bleeding
  • Active infection or fever
  • Short life expectancy
  • Significant anaemia
  • Severe uncontrolled systemic hypertension
  • Severe electrolyte imbalance
  • Congestive heart failure - NYHA Class IV
  • Recent myocardial infarction
  • Bleeding or clotting disorders
  • Uncontrolled diabetes
  • Inability to receive IV or oral Anticoagulants
  • Unable to give informed consent
  • Pregnancy

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

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Freedom From Atrial Fibrillation
Time Frame: 1 year
Percentage of patients who do not have a recurrence of atrial fibrillation
1 year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Atrial fibrillation burden
Time Frame: 1 year
Mean number of episodes of atrial fibrillation
1 year
Atrial fibrillation related symptoms and quality of life
Time Frame: 1 year
Mean Atrial Fibrillation Effect on QualiTy-of-Life (AFEQT) score
1 year
Health related quality of life
Time Frame: 1 year
Mean Short Form 36 (SF-36) score
1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Imperial College London

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)

May 19, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 27, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

August 27, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 4, 2022

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 4, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

May 9, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 19, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 21HH7349

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

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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