(May) Has electrical sinus translated effective remodelling (HESTER)

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    HESTER study: Has electrical sinus translated into effective remodelling?

  • IRAS ID

    122493

  • Contact name

    SAMER NASHEF

  • Contact email

    sam.nashef@papworth.nhs.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

  • Research summary

    Atrial Fibrillation (AF) occurs because of electrical disturbance in the collecting chambers of the heart (atria). AF is common (1 in 20 middle-aged people and 1 in 10 over 80). In AF, the atria “wriggle” (fibrillate) instead of beating, and lose their pumping action. It can cause palpitations, pain, dizziness,breathlessness and for blood to settle in parts of the atria leading to clots and potential strokes. To reduce that risk, AF patients routinely take blood-thinning drugs, but these can cause bleeding, so patients need careful monitoring with regular blood tests.

    AF can also be treated by an operation called the ‘maze procedure’ where an energy source applied to the atrial wall can be used to block the abnormal electrical signals that are making the heart beat irregularly. The Amaze Trial (08/H0301/98)was set up to find out whether the maze procedure done in conjunction with other heart surgery improves survival and quality of life and at what cost to the NHS.

    The purpose of the HESTER study is to identify whether making the heart beat regularly using the maze procedure results in the atria beating and pumping blood normally. We aim to assess the atria and their function in participants from the Amaze Trial by using:
    1. Echocardiography (echo): a totally safe and painless ultrasound to see how well the atria are beating. It takes under 30 minutes.
    2. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): a painless scan that shows the movement and size of the heart chambers at different stages of the heart beat.

    At the end of the HESTER study, we will know if the maze procedure makes the atria beat better, and if so, in what proportion of participants and how this impacts on the quality of life.

  • REC name

    East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    13/EE/0114

  • Date of REC Opinion

    21 May 2013

  • REC opinion

    Favourable Opinion