Clinical Research Directory

Catheter Ablation Plus LAAO Versus Anticoagulation in Frail Elderly Patients With Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia, significantly increasing the risk of stroke, heart failure, hospitalization and death in patients. Studies have shown that standardized anticoagulation can effectively reduce the risk of stroke by 64% and the risk of death by 26% in AF patients. Therefore, both European and American guidelines recommend standardized oral anticoagulation (OAC) as an important treatment strategy for stroke prevention in AF patients. However, the use of OAC may also increase the risk of bleeding in patients. Results from large AF anticoagulation randomized trials show that the annual risk of anticoagulation-related bleeding mortality is 2% to 3%. Therefore, according to the guidelines recommendations, assessing the bleeding risk is necessary in patients with anticoagulant indications. Percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) is a device-based therapy that aims to prevent ischemic stroke in patients with AF. For patients with contraindications to long-term anticoagulation therapy, LAAO can be considered as an alternative strategy to oral anticoagulation (Class II B recommendation) to prevent ischemic stroke and thromboembolism. Multiple studies have shown that LAAO is non-inferior to warfarin and novel oral anticoagulants in stroke prevention for non-valvular AF patients. Age is not only a risk factor for stroke but also an important risk factor for bleeding. In the elderly population, especially those with frailty, the risk factors for both stroke and bleeding are often increased. Currently, there is insufficient evidence to support the use of OAC in frail elderly patients with relative anticoagulant contraindications. Therefore, elderly AF patients may be one of the potential beneficiary groups for LAAO. However, most previous clinical studies on LAAO were based on small sample sizes to analyze their safety and efficacy, and clinical data on the safety and efficacy of LAAO in this high-risk population of elderly AF patients are still limited. To address this, the study aims to conduct a multicenter randomized controlled trial to compare the efficacy and safety of catheter ablation combined with LAAO versus catheter ablation combined with OAC in elderly AF patients with high bleeding risk, filling the gap in this research area. To address these limitations, this multicenter randomized controlled trial is designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of catheter ablation combined with LAAO versus catheter ablation combined with OAC in elderly AF patients at high risk for bleeding. The primary objective of the study is to compare the 12-month incidence and time-to-occurrence of the composite clinical endpoint. This endpoint includes stroke/TIA, systemic embolism, ISTH-defined major bleeding. By establishing these metrics within the first year, the study aims to fill the current void in clinical evidence and provide a standardized treatment strategy for high-risk elderly patients. In addition to the primary endpoints, the study will conduct a comprehensive long-term evaluation extending to 24 months post-procedure to assess the durability of both treatment strategies. Secondary objectives include the assessment of perioperative safety, specifically focusing on serious intraoperative complications and major adverse events occurring within the first seven days after the LAAO procedure. The trial will also measure long-term rhythm control by tracking the rate of freedom from AF recurrence at the one-year and two-year marks. Furthermore, the study seeks to verify the hypothesized superiority of the ablation-plus-LAAO strategy in reducing the specific burden of anticoagulation-related major bleeding and stroke. Beyond clinical safety and efficacy, the trial will analyze the practical aspects of the two interventions, including procedural success rates, operation duration, fluoroscopy time, and the total duration of hospitalization. A critical component of the research involves identifying specific risk factors associated with complications, with a specialized focus on how frailty scores influence procedural tolerance and long-term prognosis. The study will further explore how different types of AF respond to the LAAO strategy and assess the impact of each treatment on non-major bleeding events. Ultimately, the trial aims to determine which strategy offers a superior improvement in the overall quality of life for elderly patients, thereby optimizing future clinical guidelines.

Anticoagulation Profile in Pregnant Women Treated With Three Times a Day of Low Molecular Weight Heparin (LMWH)

Pregnancy is associated with a increased risk of developing blood clots. There is nearly a 5 times greater risk of developing a blood clot in pregnancy. Lovenox is a medication that helps to prevent the body from developing clots. It is safe to use in pregnancy. Previous studies have demonstrated that despite recommendation of Lovenox, to prevent blood clots, the majority of patient's (70 to 90%) did not receive adequate levels of Lovenox at times throughout the day, which likely increases the risk of developing clots. The increase in blood volume and increase in kidney function that occurs in pregnancy may contribute to the inadequate levels. Currently the recommendation for pregnant and nonpregnant patients requiring Lovenox, is to calculate the daily dose of Lovenox and split the dose, giving half in the morning and the other half in the evening. This research study proposes that due to changes in the body during pregnancy that the daily Lovenox dosing be split into three times a day to achieve more consistent levels of Lovenox than twice a day in pregnant women.

Shared Decision for Drug Interactions in Oral Anticoagulation

The purpose of this project is to implement and evaluate a shared-decision making (SDM) tool called DDInteract that was developed to support decision making for drug-drugs interactions while on oral anticoagulants. DDInteract will be implemented in clinics at the University of Utah, University of Colorado and University of Vanderbilt. DDInteract will be launched from within the electronic health record (EHR) retrieving patient-specific risk factors, will calculate the risk of harm, and will allow providers and patients to dynamically explore "what if" scenarios to optimize treatment and minimize risk. DDInteract will enable shared-decision making using individually-tailored information on the potential benefits and harms of drug interactions in anticoagulated patients.

A Study of Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Patients with Painful Venous Malformations with Localized Intravascular Coagulation

There are two parts of the study. In Part 1, the invesitgaotrs want to investigate whether treatment with apixaban improves pain and quality of life in patients with painful venous malformations The participants are randomized to different treatment orders of the two treatment periods with apixaban and placebo. Arm 1 starts apixaban followed by placebo and arm 2 starts with placebo followed by apixaban. Between the treatment sequences there will be a washout period of minimum one week. The participants will register pain and use og pain medication in a diary every day for one week before start of treatment and before evaluation of effect. Also, a quality of life form will be filled out before each consultation. In Part 2, the investigators will investigate long-term effect and safety of apixaban and reduce dose after 3 months to find the minimal effective dose. Part 2 includes participants from Part 1 study who experienced effect of treatment or who agree to continue apixaban treatment. Study start of Part 2 is at the end of Part 1. All participants receive the same dose of apixaban as in part 1 (5 mg twice daily), and after 3 months (visit 2) the dose is reduced to 2.5 mg twice daily.