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Atrioventricular Node Ablation and Conduction System Pacing in Patients With Well Controlled Permanent Atrial Fibrillation (AF), Heart Failure and Preserved Ejection Fraction: Heart Rate Regularization Versus Medical Rate Control

Atrioventricular (AV) Node Ablation and Conduction System Pacing in Patients With Well Controlled Permanent Atrial Fibrillation (AF), Heart Failure and Preserved Ejection Fraction: Heart Rate Regularization vs. Medical Rate Control

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06833138
Acronym
HF-RELIEF
Enrollment
266
Registered
2025-02-18
Start date
2025-09-10
Completion date
2029-12-31
Last updated
2026-09-11

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

Conditions

Atrial Fibrillation, Persistent, Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

Keywords

Heart failure, Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy, Conduction System Pacing

Brief summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to assess the clinical efficacy of physiological pacing combined with atrioventricular node ablation, in patients with Heart Failure with preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF) and well controlled permanent atrial fibrillation.The main question it aims to answer is that heart rate regularization added to physiological pacing - preventing the deleterious effect of right ventricular apical pacing - would reduce mortality and heart failure hospitalizations. Researchers will compare physiological pacing combined with atrioventricular node ablation (intervention arm) versus optimal pharmacological therapy (control arm) to see if physiological pacing combined with atrioventricular node ablation reduce time to the composite of all-cause mortality or hospitalization due to heart failure or intravenous diuretics (time frame 24 months). Participants will : * Be randomized in intervention arm or control arm. * Visit the clinic 3 months, 12 months and 24 months after the randomization for checkups and tests.

Detailed description

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is a major public health issue affecting 4.9% of general population aged ≥ 60 years. It accounts for more than half of all heart failure hospital admissions. Atrial fibrillation is very common in this diseased population as pathophysiologies are highly interrelated. Atrial fibrillation occurs in two thirds of Heart failure with preserved ejection patients at some point in the natural history and confers a poor prognosis. Therapeutic alternatives are currently limited as patients with permanent Atrial fibrillation and Heart failure with preserved ejection are often treated with drug therapies for lenient rate control. Recently, the APAF-CRT mortality trial demonstrated a reduction in mortality and hospitalization in Heart Failure and Atrial fibrillation patients treated with Atrioventricular node ablation plus Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy versus pharmacological rate control, irrespective of their baseline Ejection Fraction. The optimal rate regularization achieved with atrioventricular node ablation emerges as the main determinant of reduction in mortality and hospitalization. This conclusion is supported by old robust physiology studies showing that beat-to-beat heart rate irregularity has significant hemodynamic effects and notably decreases cardiac output. However, no specific trials have been conducted in patients with Heart failure with preserved ejection, a population for whom treatment strategies that effectively improve outcomes are sparse. We aim at analyzing the benefit of heart rate regularization and physiological pacing in patients with Heart failure with preserved ejection (Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction ≥ 50%) and permanent Atrial Fibrilation. We hypothesize that heart rate regularization added to physiological pacing - preventing the deleterious effect of right ventricular apical pacing - would reduce mortality and Heart Failure hospitalizations.

Interventions

PROCEDUREpacemaker implantation

The Medtronic 3830 lead should be used as the Conduction System Pacing lead. However, in case of unsuccessful implantation with the 3830 lead, a stylet-driven lead can be used as an alternative.

Right-sided atrioventricular junction ablation will be attempted first with a radiofrequency catheter. The choice of the catheter will be at the discretion of the physician. The catheter will be advanced to the His Bundle and then slightly withdrawn proximally and caudally in order to target the compact atrioventricular node. Repeated ablation procedures will be recommended during follow-up if regression of atrioventricular block occurs.

DEVICEPacemaker programming

The pacemaker device will be programmed in VVIR mode at a lower rate of 75 beats per minute in bipolar mode for sensing and pacing

Sponsors

French Cardiology Society
Lead SponsorOTHER
Medtronic France SAS
CollaboratorINDUSTRY

Study design

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

Masking description

Clinical outcomes will be adjudicated by the investigator and reviewed by the Clinical Events Committee, which will be blinded to treatment received by the patient.

Intervention model description

Randomization 1:1 Intervention arm: Conduction system pacing (pacemaker implantation) + atrioventricular node ablation Control arm: optimal pharmacological therapy

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

* Permanent atrial fibrilation \> 6 months * Preserved Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction ≥ 50% * ≥ 1 heart failure hospitalization in the previous year * NYHA (New York Heart Association) score ≥ 2 * Presence of at least one of the following criteria related to diastolic dysfunction: * E/e' ratio \> 9 * Left Ventricular mass \> 95 g/m2 (female) or \> 115 g/m2 (male) with h/R ratio \> 0.42 * NT pro BNP (B-type Natriuretic Peptide) \> 365 pg/mL or BNP (B-type Natriuretic Peptide) \> 105 pg/mL * Narrow QRS ≤ 120 ms * Average heart rate ≤ 110/min on 24 hours Holter monitoring * Age over 18-year-old * Capacity to understand the nature of the study, legal ability and willingness to give informed consent * Patient covered by a social insurance * Effective contraception and a negative pregnancy test in women of a childbearing age

Exclusion criteria

* Patient eligible for atrial fibrilation catheter ablation * Life expectancy \< 12 months * Severe chronic kidney disease (estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate ≤ 20 ml/1,73 m2) * Severe respiratory disease (severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with Gold ≥ 3 and/or chronic oxygen therapy) * Class III obesity (Body Mass Index ≥ 40) * Confirmed or suspected infiltrative cardiomyopathy (amyloidosis, sarcoidosis, Fabry disease, others) * Obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy * Previous implanted devices (Pacemaker / Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator / Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy) * Other indication for pacemaker implantation * Indication for implantable cardioverter-defibrillator * Ambulatory ≤ 50% of time * Pregnant women * Breast-feeding women

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Time to the composite of all-cause mortality or hospitalization due to heart failure or intravenous diuretics.24 monthsDelay between randomization and death or hospitalization or intravenous diuretics due to heart failure

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Time to all-cause mortality24 monthsDelay between randomization and death (all-cause).
Time to Cardiovascular mortality24 monthsDelay between randomization and death due to cardiovascular disease.
Time to heart failure hospitalization24 monthsDelay between randomization and hospitalization due to heart failure.
Change in New York Heart Association score24 monthsEvolution of the functional status measured by New York Heart Association score between randomization and 24 months follow up visit. From II (mild), III (moderate) to IV (severe).
Change in B-type natriuretic peptide level24 monthsEvolution of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) level between randomization and 24 months follow up visit.
Major adverse events following pacemaker implantation24 monthsRecord of safety information about pacemaker implantation procedure
Major adverse events following atrioventricular node ablation24 monthsRecord of safety information about atrioventricular node ablation procedure

Countries

France

Contacts

CONTACTTessa BERGOT, MSc
tessa.bergot@sfcardio.fr+33144907033
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORFrédéric ANSELME, MD

CHU de Rouen, France

STUDY_DIRECTORCorentin CHAUMONT, MD

CHU de Rouen, France

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Sep 12, 2026