Safety And FEasibility of a Simplified Deep Sedation Protocol for Pulsed-Field Ablation (SAFE-PFA)

June 4, 2026 updated by: Pierre OLLITRAULT, University Hospital, Caen
The aim of the SAFE-PFA study is to demonstrate the feasibility and safety of a simplified deep-sedation protocol for pulsed-field ablation of atrial fibrillation, with a specific focus on patient-reported outcomes.

Study Overview

Status

Enrolling by invitation

Conditions

Detailed Description

Atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation improves symptoms and quality of life while reducing the risk of heart failure, ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack, and cardiovascular mortality in appropriately selected patients. Pulsed-field ablation (PFA) is an effective and safe modality for AF ablation, based on selective electroporation of atrial myocardial cells using high-intensity, rapidly delivered electrical pulses. Consequently, PFA procedures most often require general anesthesia. In France, however, access to general anesthesia is limited for multiple reasons. It is therefore important to develop deep-sedation protocols (i.e., continuous ventilation without in-room anesthesiology support) in order to make PFA accessible to a larger number of patients. Existing protocols used in some European countries rely on restricted drugs reserved for anesthesiologists (e.g., propofol).

The aim of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility and safety of a simplified deep-sedation protocol based on drugs that can be administered in the electrophysiology laboratory, with a specific focus on patient-reported outcomes.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

40

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

  • France
      • Caen, France, 14000
        • University Hospital 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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients admitted for elective PFA-based AF catheter ablation.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • elective PFA-based AF catheter ablation

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Heart failure classified as NYHA III or IV, or left ventricular ejection fraction < 40%
  • Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, treated or untreated
  • Obesity with BMI > 35 kg/m²
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or baseline SpO₂ < 95%
  • Cognitive impairment and/or psychiatric disorders

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
Iowa Satisfaction with Anesthesia Scale (ISAS - French Version)
Time Frame: 3-hour post-operative
The Iowa Satisfaction with Anesthesia Scale (ISAS) is a tool to assess the patient's satisfaction after sedation anesthesia. The French validated version will be used.
3-hour post-operative

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Peroperative hypoventilation
Time Frame: Peroperative and up to 2-hour postoperative
Apnea > 60 seconds with SpO2 < 95% and/or use of bag-mask ventilation and/or conversion to mechanical ventilation (laryngeal mask or intubation).
Peroperative and up to 2-hour postoperative

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University Hospital, Caen

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 (Actual)

June 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

November 11, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 12, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 18, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 4, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 8, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 8, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 4, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • RYTHMO-2025-01

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

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.

Clinical Trials on Atrial Fibrillation (AF)

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Philippines

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

3
Subscribe