RAFT - Pace &Ablate (NCT06299514)
Resynchronization for Ambulatory Heart Failure Trial in Patients With Chronic Atrial Fibrillation - Pharmacological Rate Control vs. Pace and Ablate With Conduction System Pacing
🩺 Plain-English Summary (8th-Grade Level)
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an irregular heartbeat that can cause symptoms of skipped beats, shortness of breath, stroke, or in some cases fluid in the lungs or legs. Treating AF is mostly to do with slowing the heart rate down so that the heart can get a chance to regain some energy. In some cases, slowing the heart rate is not easy to achieve as some patients find it difficult to tolerate medications and suffer side effects from these treatments. In these instances, there might be a possibility to permanently control the heart rate by implanting a pacemaker in the heart and intentionally damaging a regulatory region of the heart called the atrioventricular (AV) node. Damaging the AV node by a procedure called ablation results in the AF not being able to influence the bottom chambers (the ventricles) resulting in a slow rhythm. Therefore, if a pacemaker is implanted then the heart rate can be completely regulated by the pacemaker. A complex pacemaker that stimulates both the right and left ventricles simultaneously (BiVP) has been used for the last decade prior to AV node ablation. More recently, a technique has been designed to reduce the number of leads in the heart, reduce procedure time and have a similar effect on the heart called Conduction System Pacing (CSP). There is not enough existing evidence to show that a pace and ablate strategy is superior to optimal medical therapy. We intend to compare the efficacy of CSP with AV node ablation to optimal medical therapy for treating AF.
Who can join: Review the eligibility criteria below.
Location: Victoria Cardiac Arrhythmia Trials — Victoria, British Columbia
Age range: 18 Years
🧪 Interventions in This Study
📋 "Do I Qualify?" — 1-Minute Self Screener
Instant ChecklistFull eligibility criteria are available on the official NIH protocol. View the criteria ↗
📍 All Participating Trial Locations (12 Sites)
- Victoria Cardiac Arrhythmia Trials — Victoria, British Columbia
- Nova Scotia Health Authority — Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation — Hamilton, Ontario
- Waterloo Wellington Cardiovascular Research Institute — Kitchener, Ontario
- London Health Sciences Centre - University Hospital — London, Ontario
- Southlake Regional Health Centre — Newmarket, Ontario
- Ottawa Heart Institute Research Corporation — Ottawa, Ontario
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre — Toronto, Ontario
- Centre Hospitalier de L'Université de Montréal (CHUM) — Montreal, Quebec
- Montreal Heart Institute — Montreal, Quebec
- Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie Québec - Université Laval (IUCPQ-ULaval) — Québec, Quebec
- Hôpital Fleurimont — Sherbrooke, Quebec
📞 Contact the Study Coordinator
Phone: (519) 663-3746
Email: habib.khan@lhsc.on.ca
Coordinator details come directly from the registered NIH protocol. Confirm the study is still recruiting before traveling.
💰 Cost, Insurance & Patient Rights
- 100% Free Items: The investigational treatment and protocol-required procedures are supplied at zero cost by the sponsor.
- Routine Patient Care: Under federal law (ACA § 2709) and many state statutes, routine care costs are covered during participation.
- Voluntary Participation: You may withdraw at any time without affecting your standard medical care.
More studies in Atrial Fibrillation
- CHAMPION-AF Clinical Trial — Birmingham, Alabama
- Reversal of Atrial Substrate to Prevent Atrial — Calgary, Alberta
- Insertable Cardiac Monitor for Primary Atrial Fibrillation Detection in High-Risk Heart Failure Patients — Rochester, New York
- REView of ProcEdural FactoRs and Outcomes After Atrial Fibrillation Ablation With Active Esophageal COOLing: A Sub-Study of the REAL AF Registry — Chandler, Arizona
- Targeting Risk Interventions and Metformin for Atrial Fibrillation (TRIM-AF) — Cleveland, Ohio
- Liraglutide Effect in Atrial Fibrillation — Miami, Florida
Explore by condition: All Atrial Fibrillation clinical trials
💡 How to Participate
- Check the checklist above to see if you may qualify.
- Contact the study coordinator using the phone/email above.
- Ask about the visit schedule, what is covered at no cost, and any travel support.
- Confirm with your own doctor before making a decision.