Can zapping the heart beat drugs for AF in heart failure?
NCT ID NCT01411371
First seen Sep 21, 2026 · Last updated Sep 21, 2026
Summary
Researchers compare catheter ablation with medication for people who have heart failure and persistent atrial fibrillation. Half the participants receive ablation to restore normal heart rhythm, and half receive standard drugs to control rate or rhythm. The trial measures changes in heart pumping function and exercise capacity after six months.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- catheter ablation, a procedure that uses heat or cold to scar heart tissue and restore normal rhythm
- What this could lead to
- If ablation works better than drugs, it could become a preferred way to treat atrial fibrillation in people with heart failure, possibly improving heart function and quality of life.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small trial of 50 people, so results may not apply broadly. Ablation carries risks like bleeding, infection, or damage to heart structures, and not everyone responds.
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
-
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
-
50 people
The number who actually took part.
- Start date
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Mar 2005
- Finished
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Feb 2013
- 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
-
18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Persistent atrial fibrillation * Symptomatic heart failure Exclusion Criteria: * Reversible causes of heart failure * Contraindications to catheter ablation
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Barts & The London NHS Trust
London, UK, EC1A 7BE, United Kingdom
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Heart hole or stroke trigger? global registry tracks who gets closure and what happens next
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