Hidden heart rhythms: can monitoring reveal best treatment for blocked arteries?
NCT ID NCT04542460
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tracks heart rhythm problems in 200 people with a chronic total coronary occlusion (a completely blocked heart artery). All participants get a small implanted heart monitor (loop recorder) to detect dangerous arrhythmias. The goal is to compare how often these occur in patients treated with medication alone versus those who also undergo a procedure (PCI) to open the blockage. The study also looks at patients whose PCI was unsuccessful.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this study could clarify how often dangerous heart rhythms occur in CTO patients and whether PCI or medication better reduces that risk.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational study, not a treatment trial. It will not directly test a new therapy, and results may not change current care.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 200 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2020
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * ≥1 CTO lesion amenable to PCI. * Stable or stabilized coronary artery disease. * Angiographic/echocardiographic signs of reversible perfusion. * CTO lesion in a coronary vessel supplying a significant myocardial territory (vessel diameter usually ≥3mm). Exclusion Criteria: * Expected survival \<1 year. * Patients with an indication of ICD due to EF \< 35 or previous ventricular tachycardia. * Patients with a cardiac device i.e. ICD, pacemaker or cardiac resynchronizing treatment device. * Renal failure on dialysis. * Lesions treated with PCI within one month. * Indication for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). I.e. Two-or three vessel disease or left main disease and a syntax score \>22. * Significant valvular heart disease. * Declined informed consent. * Regarding CMRI: allergy to contrast medium, severe obesity, claustrophobia and certain metallic implants.
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Aalborg university hospital
Aalborg, North Denmark, 9000, Denmark