NCT00846924

Brief Summary

Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac cause of ischemic stroke. Detecting atrial fibrillation after a stroke or TIA is critical because highly effective secondary stroke prevention therapy is available for individuals who are recognized to have atrial fibrillation. However, atrial fibrillation is likely under-diagnosed after stroke and TIA because atrial fibrillation is often difficult to detect as it is frequently paroxysmal and asymptomatic, and patients do not routinely undergo prolonged screening. The purpose of this study is to determine the diagnostic yield of a novel 30-day cardiac event monitor compared to a repeat 24-hour Holter monitor for detecting occult paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in patients with a recent ischemic stroke or TIA of undetermined etiology after completion of a standard clinical stroke work-up (including an initial negative Holter monitor.)

Trial Health

43
At Risk

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Trial has exceeded expected completion date
Enrollment
564

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable stroke

Timeline
Completed

Started May 2009

Longer than P75 for not_applicable stroke

Geographic Reach
1 country

17 active sites

Status
unknown

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

February 18, 2009

Completed
1 day until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

February 19, 2009

Completed
2 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

May 1, 2009

Completed
4.9 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

April 1, 2014

Completed
4.6 years until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

October 30, 2018

Completed
Last Updated

October 5, 2018

Status Verified

October 1, 2018

Enrollment Period

4.9 years

First QC Date

February 18, 2009

Last Update Submit

October 3, 2018

Conditions

Keywords

StrokeTransient Ischemic AttackAtrial fibrillationAtrial flutter

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Detection of one or more episodes of atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter ≥30 seconds, as assessed at the 90 day follow-up

    90 days

Secondary Outcomes (7)

  • Atrial fibrillation <30 seconds

    90 days

  • Atrial flutter <30 seconds

    90 days

  • Non-sustained (>3 beats, <30 seconds) irregular atrial tachyarrhythmia (including brief runs of atrial fibrillation)

    90 days

  • Proportion of patients in each group that are prescribed oral anticoagulation, as assessed at the 90-day follow-up

    90 days

  • Patient adherence with 30-day monitoring: average proportion of days wearing the monitor per patient, and the percentage of patients wearing the monitor for >75% of the target period

    90 days

  • +2 more secondary outcomes

Study Arms (2)

repeat 24-hour Holter monitor

ACTIVE COMPARATOR
Device: 24-hour Holter

30-day ambulatory cardiac event monitor

EXPERIMENTAL
Device: a 30-day ambulatory cardiac event monitor

Interventions

Patients will be fitted with dry electrode belt (including cardiac event monitor)and instructed to wear the device for as many hours(waking and sleeping) each day as possible, for a total of 30 days.

Also known as: AccuHeart Electrode Belt, Braemar ER 910AF (cardiac event monitor)
30-day ambulatory cardiac event monitor

Repeat standard 24-hour Holter Monitor

Also known as: Performed as per individual hospital routines
repeat 24-hour Holter monitor

Eligibility Criteria

Age55 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Diagnosis of the index event\* made by a stroke specialist of an acute ischemic stroke or TIA (WHO definition) of undetermined etiology (cryptogenic) occurring within the previous 6 months (180 days).The event must be either:
  • an embolic arterial ischemic stroke confirmed by neuroimaging; or
  • a transient ischemic attack, defined as involving a focal unilateral motor deficit, speech/language deficit, or hemianopia, with symptom duration \<24 hours (note: amaurosis fugax/transient monocular blindness, pure sensory spells, isolated vertigo spells, etc. do not qualify for enrolment given the potential for misdiagnosis of such events).
  • Patient meets the following:
  • At least one 12-lead ECG has already been obtained as part of the routine clinical post-stroke/TIA work-up, and no ECGs have shown any episodes of atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter, and;
  • A Holter monitor has already been obtained as part of the routine clinical post-stroke/TIA work-up, and does not show any episodes of atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter ≥30 seconds.
  • The patient is being actively investigated for the etiology of the stroke/TIA event and additional cardiac monitoring is desired to screen further for the possibility of occult paroxysmal atrial fibrillation/flutter, i.e. patients selected for this study are those for whom the investigator, in his/her clinical judgment, would consider ordering a repeat Holter monitor as part of clinical care.
  • The following diagnostic tests have already been completed as part of clinical routine post-stroke/TIA:
  • brain imaging with CT or MRI,
  • vascular imaging of the extracranial and intracranial circulation with either CT angiography or MR angiography to exclude significant large vessel occlusive disease as the most likely mechanism for the index ischemic event (carotid Doppler ultrasound is acceptable for those presenting with anterior circulation ischemic events),
  • transthoracic (or transesophageal) echocardiography to exclude thrombus or other structural heart disease that in the opinion of the investigator is the most likely cause for the stroke/TIA event. \[Note: If a baseline echocardiogram cannot be obtained clinically after the index event and prior to study enrollment, then it is acceptable for study purposes for an echocardiogram to be obtained after patient enrollment into the study but prior to the 90-day follow-up visit. Alternatively, an echocardiogram already performed within one year prior to study enrollment may serve as the baseline echocardiogram for study purposes.\]
  • Age 55 years or older \[Note: Participants aged 55-59 years should have imaging confirmation of the index stroke/TIA event with an embolic imaging pattern of acute cerebral ischemia\]
  • Informed consent from the patient (or from a legally authorized representative if the patient is not competent, e.g. due to stroke-related cognitive impairment, aphasia, or anosognosia).
  • The patient is expected to survive at least 6 months.
  • The patient has a valid provincial health insurance number.
  • +1 more criteria

You may not qualify if:

  • Exclusively retinal stroke or TIA event.
  • A most responsible etiological diagnosis for the qualifying stroke/TIA event has already been determined, i.e. probable small-vessel (lacunar) disease, probable large vessel disease, cervicocephalic artery dissection, venous sinus thrombosis, hypercoagulable states, or other known cause.
  • Planned carotid endarterectomy within 90 days.
  • Patient is already currently participating in a clinical trial involving an investigational medication or device.\*
  • Any finding on echocardiography for which there is already an evidence-based indication for long-term anticoagulation (e.g. mechanical heart valve, thrombus, etc.).
  • Endocarditis
  • Pacemaker or ICD device.
  • Patients with known skin reactions to synthetic polymers or to silver. (Some people who display sensitivity to silver jewellery are sensitive to the impurities present in silver alloys and not to the silver itself. These people may participate.)

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (17)

Foothills Medical Centre

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Location

Grey Nuns Hospital

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Location

Walter C. Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Location

Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Location

Vancouver Island Health Research Centre (VIHA)

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Location

Hamilton Health Sciences Centre

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Location

Kingston General Hospital

Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Location

London Health Sciences Centre

London, Ontario, Canada

Location

Robarts Research Institute

London, Ontario, Canada

Location

Ottawa Hospital Research Institute -The Ottawa Hospital

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Location

Thunder Bay Regional HSC

Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

Location

St. Michael's Hospital

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Location

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Location

UHN / Toronto Western Hospital

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Location

York Central Hospital

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Location

Montreal General Hospital

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Location

CHA-Hôpital de l'Enfant-Jesus

Québec, Quebec, Canada

Location

Related Publications (2)

  • Gladstone DJ, Dorian P, Spring M, Panzov V, Mamdani M, Healey JS, Thorpe KE; EMBRACE Steering Committee and Investigators. Atrial premature beats predict atrial fibrillation in cryptogenic stroke: results from the EMBRACE trial. Stroke. 2015 Apr;46(4):936-41. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.115.008714. Epub 2015 Feb 19.

  • Gladstone DJ, Spring M, Dorian P, Panzov V, Thorpe KE, Hall J, Vaid H, O'Donnell M, Laupacis A, Cote R, Sharma M, Blakely JA, Shuaib A, Hachinski V, Coutts SB, Sahlas DJ, Teal P, Yip S, Spence JD, Buck B, Verreault S, Casaubon LK, Penn A, Selchen D, Jin A, Howse D, Mehdiratta M, Boyle K, Aviv R, Kapral MK, Mamdani M; EMBRACE Investigators and Coordinators. Atrial fibrillation in patients with cryptogenic stroke. N Engl J Med. 2014 Jun 26;370(26):2467-77. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1311376.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

StrokeIschemic Attack, TransientAtrial FibrillationAtrial Flutter

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Cerebrovascular DisordersBrain DiseasesCentral Nervous System DiseasesNervous System DiseasesVascular DiseasesCardiovascular DiseasesBrain IschemiaArrhythmias, CardiacHeart DiseasesPathologic ProcessesPathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

  • David J Gladstone, MD, PhD, FRCPC

    Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Study Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

February 18, 2009

First Posted

February 19, 2009

Study Start

May 1, 2009

Primary Completion

April 1, 2014

Study Completion

October 30, 2018

Last Updated

October 5, 2018

Record last verified: 2018-10

Locations