Skip to content

Assessment of Flecainide to Lower the Patent Foramen Ovale Closure Risk of Atrial Arrhythmia or Tachycardia

Assessment of Flecainide to Lower the Patent Foramen Ovale Closure Risk of Atrial Arrhythmia or Tachycardia

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05213104
Acronym
AFLOAT
Enrollment
186
Registered
2022-01-28
Start date
2022-03-23
Completion date
2026-09-11
Last updated
2026-09-09

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Atrial Arrhythmia, Cryptogenic Stroke, Patent Foramen Ovale

Keywords

cryptongenic stroke, Percutaneous Patent Foramen Ovale closure, randomized controlled trial, Patent Foramen Ovale, Atrial arrhythmia, Atrial Fibrillation, flecainide

Brief summary

About 30% of ischemic strokes are cryptogenic. Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) is present in about 25% of the general population. In cryptogenic strokes, PFO has been shown to be overrepresented and recent intervention studies have confirmed that PFO has a causal link with stroke. In patients with recent cryptogenic stroke, these randomized studies have shown at least 50%-reduction of recurrent neurological events after PFO percutaneous closure compared with medical therapy alone. At the The risk of AF reported in these studies in certainly largely underestimated as only symptomatic and recorded episodes of AF have been declared. Patients often report palpitations without a dia gnosis of AF made on the ECG or a Holter. Long term ECG monitoring provides more accurate data on AF incidence. Administration of flecainide has been shown to be effective in preventing Atrial arrhythmia and may be useful in preventing these Atrial arrhythmia(AA) episodes after PFO closure. To the knowledge of the investigators, there is no study assessing the efficacy of any antiarrhythmic drug in the prevention of AFafter PFO closure. AFLOAT will be the first randomized study to possibly validate flecainide to prevent Atrial arrhythmia in these patients.

Detailed description

AFLOAT is a national, multicenter, randomized, controlled, open-label superiority study with a blind evaluation of all the endpoints (PROBE design). The interventional phase is followed by an observational phase as long as the patient is implanted with the ICM during when only the data of the device will be collected. Screening and selection occurs before the procedure of PFO closure and an inform consent form is signed. During the procedure of PFO closure, a small ICM (CONFIRM RX, ABBOTT) providing a long-term monitoring is implanted to detect all AA episodes. Immediately after PFO closure, patients are randomly assigned, in a 1:1:1 ratio, in 3 groups : flecainide (150 mg per day in a single sustained-release dose) for 6 months (in addition to standard of care), flecainide (150 mg per day in a single sustained-release dose) for 3 months (in addition to standard Clinical follow-up is conducted during hospitalization, at 3 months (M3) and 6 months (M6-end-of-interventionnal phase) after discharge. A contrast echocardiography is recommended between 1 and 6 months. Telemonitoring provides notifications in case of arrhythmic event. An observational period in patients who will keep the ICM beyond the 6-month follow-up period. Atrial arrhythmia detection will be continued.

Interventions

DRUGFlecainide

Flecainide 150 mg 6 months in addition to standard of care

Sponsors

Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
Lead SponsorOTHER
Fonds de Dotation ACTION
CollaboratorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Masking description

only outcomes assessor will be blinded to the study arm (PROBE design)

Intervention model description

randomized, controlled, open-label study with a blind evaluation of all the endpoints (PROBE design)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* ≥ 18 years of age * They are candidates for a procedure of PFO closure, whatever the indication (secondary prevention of stroke, platypnoea, decompression illness…). The indication must have been confirmed by a multidisciplinary team as recommended by the Haute Autorité de Santé. * They are affiliated to Social Security * They have provided a signed written consent form ICM implantation and randomization will occur only in patients with successful PFO closure without any major complications

Exclusion criteria

* History of atrial arrhythmia (paroxysmal, persistent or permanent) * Electrocardiographic of ventricular pre-excitation or bundle-branch block (QRS \>120ms) * Ischemic heart disease * Dilated or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy * A history of heart failure, severe valvular heart disease, left ventricular dysfunction (ejection fraction \<50 percent) * A long QT interval or Brugada syndrome * The bradycardia-tachycardia syndrome (resting heart rate, ≤50 beats per minute, or repetitive sinoatrial blocks during waking hours) * Documentation of previous episodes of second or third-degree atrioventricular block * High heart rate at baseline \> 100 bmp * Renal insufficiency (Glomerular filtration rate estimated by the Cockroft and Gault formula \<30ml/min/m2), * Previous hypokalemia (potassium level \<3 mmol per liter) * Suspected or known pregnancy (woman of childbearing potential must undergo a pregnancy test) * A known hypersensibility to flecainide or its excipients * Contemporaneous enrollment in an interventional clinical trial * Intended use of a prohibited medication

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
percentage of patients with at least one episode of atrial arrythmiawithin 3 months after PFO closurepercentage of patients with at least one episode of symptomatic or asymptomatic atrial arrhythmia episodes (≥30s) recorded on long-term monitoring with an insertable cardiac monitor (ICM) during the 3 months after PFO closure Atrial arrhythmia is defined as any episode of AF, atrial flutter or atrial tachycardia that lasts 30 seconds or more, in accordance with the 2012 consensus statement from the Heart Rhythm Society and others

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
percentage of patients with at least one episode of atrial arrythmia(AA)between the 3-months and 6-months follow-up visitsPercentage of patients with at least one episode of symptomatic or asymptomatic AA (≥30s) recorded on long-term monitoring with ICM between 3 and 6 months after PFO closure

Countries

France

Contacts

STUDY_CHAIRGiles MONTALESCOT, MD,PhD

Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Sep 10, 2026