Can a diabetes drug help stop AFib after ablation?
NCT ID NCT03856632
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether adding the weight-loss drug liraglutide and a lifestyle program to standard catheter ablation can reduce fat around the heart and improve outcomes for people with atrial fibrillation (AF). About 60 adults with AF and a BMI of 27 or higher will take liraglutide for 3 months before and 6 months after the procedure, along with diet and exercise guidance. The goal is to see if shrinking heart fat can stabilize heart rhythm and reduce the need for repeat procedures.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Liraglutide (a weight-loss drug) plus a lifestyle program (weight management, exercise, and cholesterol control)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a way to reduce heart fat and make atrial fibrillation less likely to return after a standard ablation procedure.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 60 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The drug can cause nausea and other side effects, and the added benefit over ablation alone is unproven.
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
-
Phase 4
Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.
- Participants
-
60 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Mar 2019
- Expected to finish
-
Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
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
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
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: * Male and female, age 18 or older * Persistent AF defined as continuous AF sustained beyond 7 days (or AF with the decision to cardiovert before 7 days of enrollment or Paroxysmal AF defined as recurrent AF (≥2 episodes) that terminates spontaneously within 7 days * BMI ≥27 kg/m2 * Patient wishes to undergo a catheter ablation procedure for the treatment of atrial fibrillation * Receiving follow-up care at the University of Miami Exclusion Criteria: * Inability to sign an informed consent * Patients with longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation of more than 3 years * Prior ablation for atrial fibrillation * Patients not appropriate candidates for catheter ablation such as those with AF due to acute or chronic precipitating medical conditions, for example, hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, significant pulmonary disease, pulmonary embolism, left atrial thrombus, class IV heart failure) * Patients with a life expectancy \<1 year * Patients with a serious medical condition (for example, recent cancer with chemotherapy or radiation therapy within 4 weeks before entering the study) who have not recovered from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier. * Known contraindications to Liraglutide, such as the previous history of pancreatitis or medullary thyroid carcinoma * Personal or family history of multiple endocrine neoplasias * Known serious hypersensitivity reaction to Liraglutide * Patients using, glitazones, sodium-glucose transporters 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), other GLP-1 analogs, or DPP4 inhibitors * Type 1 diabetes, defined by American Diabetes Association criteria, history of diabetic ketoacidosis, pancreas or beta-cell transplantation, or diabetes due to pancreatitis or pancreatectomy * Poorly controlled type 2 diabetes with HbA1c \> 10% * Pregnant women * Women who are breast-feeding or intend to become pregnant
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Atrial fibrillation are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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
-
University of Miami
Miami, Florida, 33136, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Heart hole or stroke trigger? global registry tracks who gets closure and what happens next
- Two ways to quiet a racing heart: trial pits hybrid ablation against standard catheter treatment
- Stroke's hidden heart rhythm clue under investigation
- Suture device may get heart patients walking sooner after leg vein procedures
- Two ways to catch a hidden heart rhythm after stroke
- Can an implanted heart monitor catch hidden irregular heartbeats after stroke?