Accelerated LBBP for Patients With RHF and Severe TR (ARCP)

Accelerated Left Branch Bundle Pacing in the Treatment of Right Heart Failure With Severe Tricuspid Regurgitation: A Prospective, Multicenter, Single-Arm Target Value Clinical Trial

This study is a prospective, single-arm, target value clinical trial. We plan to prospectively enroll and follow 24 patients across three centers nationwide who have a low baseline heart rate (HR ≤ 60 bpm), meet the indication for permanent pacemaker implantation, and have right-sided heart failure with severe or greater tricuspid regurgitation. All patients will undergo pacemaker implantation using left bundle branch pacing (LBBP), and the pacing rate will be uniformly increased to 90 bpm (reduced to 80-85 bpm in case of intolerance). Patients will be followed for 6 months to evaluate the effects of heart-rate increase on hemodynamics, heart failure symptoms, and physical function in patients with right-sided heart failure.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Right Heart Failure
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: permanent pacemaker implantation

Detailed Description

After eligibility screening and written informed consent are obtained, all participants will undergo baseline assessments including vital signs, biochemical tests, New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class, diuretic index, edema grade, echocardiographic parameters, 6-minute walk distance (6MWD), and the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ). All patients will then receive pacemaker implantation with the lead positioned for left bundle branch pacing to achieve conduction system pacing. The pacing rate will initially be set at 60 bpm, followed by right heart catheterization. Hemodynamic parameters will be recorded during both diastole and systole, including pressures in the superior vena cava, inferior vena cava, right atrium, right ventricle, and pulmonary artery. Mean pressure values will then be calculated, and mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance will be measured. Cardiac output (CO) will be assessed invasively using a cardiac output monitoring system integrated with the right heart catheterization setup, based on the Fick principle. The pacing rate will then be increased to 90 bpm; after 5 minutes of stabilization, right heart catheterization will be repeated.

On the day after pacemaker implantation, transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) will be performed, and relevant parameters will be measured at pacing rates of 60 and 90 bpm. Before discharge, the pacing rate will be set to 90 bpm. Diuretics will be prescribed as clinically indicated, and escalation of diuretic dosage will not be permitted during the follow-up period.

Follow-up visits will be scheduled at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after discharge. Assessments at each visit will include vital signs, biochemical tests, NYHA functional class, diuretic index, edema grade, KCCQ score, 6MWD, and echocardiographic parameters.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 24
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: wenzhi pan, MD; Phone Number: +86 13774475922; Email: peden@sina.com
• Study Contact Backup: Name: junbo ge, MD; Phone Number: +86 13901977506; Email: ge.junbo@zs-hospital.sh.cn

Study Locations

• China
  • Jiangxi
    • Nanchang, Jiangxi, China, 330006
      • The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University
      • Contact: xiaoping peng, MD; Phone Number: +86 18060226078; Email: cdyfypxp@163.com
  • Shanghai Municipality
    • Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China, 200032
      • Shanghai Zhongshan Hospital
      • Contact: wenzhi pan, MD; Phone Number: +86 13774475922; Email: peden@sina.com
    • Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China, 201104
      • Shanghai Geriatric Medical Center
      • Contact: lifan yang, MD; Phone Number: +86 18801784843; Email: yang.lifan@zsgmc.sh.cn

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Mean resting heart rate ≤ 65 beats/min (based on a resting electrocardiogram).

2. Clinically confirmed right-sided heart failure, requiring ≥2 diuretic units to fully control edema, or having persistent grade ≥1 edema despite diuretic therapy.

   Diuretic unit definition: expressed as the number of daily doses at the standard oral dose. For example, the standard units for furosemide, torasemide, and spironolactone are 20 mg/day, 10 mg/day, and 20 mg/day, respectively. If a patient takes furosemide 20 mg twice daily and spironolactone 20 mg once daily, the total diuretic units equal 3.

3. Echocardiography shows severe or greater tricuspid regurgitation.
4. With/without an indication for permanent pacemaker implantation.
5. Is able to understand the purpose of the trial, voluntarily participates and signs written informed consent, and is willing to complete follow-up visits as required by the protocol.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) > 35 mmHg measured by right heart catheterization at a pacing rate of 60 bpm.
2. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 50% or left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) > 56 mm as measured by echocardiography.
3. Prior implantation of a cardiac pacemaker.
4. Moderate or greater left-sided valvular regurgitation or stenosis.
5. Current use of heart rate-lowering medications, such as beta-blockers, digoxin, ivabradine, etc.
6. Untreated hypothyroidism.
7. Participation in another drug or medical device clinical trial that has not yet been completed.
8. Deemed unsuitable for participation in this clinical trial by the investigator.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: accelerated left branch bundle pacing; Implant a pacemaker using left bundle branch pacing (LBBP) and set the pacing rate to 90 bpm.	Procedure: permanent pacemaker implantation; Implant a pacemaker using left bundle branch pacing (LBBP) and set the pacing rate to 90 bpm.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
An increase of ≥10 points in the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) score at the 6-month follow-up compared with baseline.	Measured as score (score on scale; range 0-100). The Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) is a disease-specific health status instrument composed of 23 items that quantify the domains of physical limitation, symptoms, self-efficacy, social limitation, and health-related quality of life limitation from heart failure. The overall summary score and all domains have been independently demonstrated to be valid, reliable, and responsive to clinical change. Lower scores represent more severe symptoms and/or limitations and scores of 100 indicate no symptoms, no limitations, and excellent quality of life.	From enrollment to the 6-month follow-up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class at the 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up visits.		From enrollment to the 6-month follow-up
The Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) score at the 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up visits	Measured as score (score on scale; range 0-100). The Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) is a disease-specific health status instrument composed of 23 items that quantify the domains of physical limitation, symptoms, self-efficacy, social limitation, and health-related quality of life limitation from heart failure. The overall summary score and all domains have been independently demonstrated to be valid, reliable, and responsive to clinical change. Lower scores represent more severe symptoms and/or limitations and scores of 100 indicate no symptoms, no limitations, and excellent quality of life.	From enrollment to the 6-month follow-up
The Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire Clinical Summary Score (KCCQ-CSS) at the 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up visits.	Measured as score (score on scale; range 0-100). The Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) is a disease-specific health status instrument composed of 23 items that quantify the domains of physical limitation, symptoms, self-efficacy, social limitation, and health-related quality of life limitation from heart failure. The overall summary score and all domains have been independently demonstrated to be valid, reliable, and responsive to clinical change. Clinical Summary Score (CSS) scores range from 0 to 100 and lower scores represent more severe symptoms and/or limitations and scores of 100 indicate no symptoms, no limitations, and excellent quality of life.	From enrollment to the 6-month follow-up
6-minute walk distance (6MWD) at the 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up visits		From enrollment to the 6-month follow-up
N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) concentration at the 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up visits.		From enrollment to the 6-month follow-up
Diuretic index at the 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up visits	Diuretic index definition: expressed as the number of daily doses at the standard oral dose. For example, the standard units for furosemide, torasemide, and spironolactone are 20 mg/day, 10 mg/day, and 20 mg/day, respectively. If a patient takes furosemide 20 mg twice daily and spironolactone 20 mg once daily, the total diuretic index equal 3.	From enrollment to the 6-month follow-up
Edema index at the 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up visits		From enrollment to the 6-month follow-up
Tricuspid regurgitation severity measured by transthoracic echocardiography at the 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up visits.		From enrollment to the 6-month follow-up

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Shanghai Zhongshan Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): March 10, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 2, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 12, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 13, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 12, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: right heart failure, left branch bundle pacing, tricuspid regurgitation
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Cardiovascular Diseases; Heart Diseases; Heart Valve Diseases; Heart Failure; Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency
• Other Study ID Numbers: B2026-103

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