AFHF study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A mechanistic exploratory study of AF-induced cardiac dysfunction and symptoms
IRAS ID
272775
Contact name
Richard Schilling
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Barts Health NHS Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
Although the heart rhythm disorder Atrial Fibrillation (AF) affects 2% of the population, the impact it has on an effected individual can be highly variable. Some people have no symptoms whilst others can experience debilitating symptoms or even heart failure (HF)- a weakness of the heart muscle. The reason why such variability exists in unknown and how AF actually drives HF is unclear. HF can also be caused by many other reasons and so it can be difficult to differentiate the patients with HF caused by AF from patients with AF but whose HF is caused by something else. This is important as it would help us to identify patients most likely to improve their heart function after AF treatment. These patients would gain more from invasive treatments like AF catheter ablation; which is effective at restoring normal heart rhythm but has some risks attached.
The investigators suspect the characteristics of the AF, such as how irregularly it makes the heart beat, can be used to predict who will respond better to AF treatment. Studies of heart cells in the lab as well as animal models have suggested this characteristic may be the cause of AF-induced heart muscle weakness and reduce symptoms, making it a potential predictive marker that we can easily measure. The investigators will also look at other potential predictors using scans and blood tests too. We will also explore whether there are predictors of which patients gain the most symptomatic benefit and understand why some people develop symptoms of AF, whereas others do not.
By studying the structural and functional changes after catheter ablation treatment in patients with HF the investigators hope to better understand the relationship between the two diseases.
REC name
South West - Frenchay Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/SW/0135
Date of REC Opinion
9 Nov 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion