NCT02110537

Brief Summary

The aim of this trial is to evaluate the effect of acupuncture on prevention of atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after electrical cardioversion (EC) for persistent AF patients resistant to the antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs).

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
80

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Mar 2014

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

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

Study Start

First participant enrolled

March 1, 2014

Completed
1 month until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

April 6, 2014

Completed
4 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

April 10, 2014

Completed
1.2 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

July 1, 2015

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

July 1, 2015

Completed
Last Updated

April 10, 2014

Status Verified

April 1, 2014

Enrollment Period

1.3 years

First QC Date

April 6, 2014

Last Update Submit

April 8, 2014

Conditions

Keywords

Atrial fibrillationAcupunctureRecurrenceElectrical cardioversion

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Recurrence of atrial fibrillation evaluated on serial electrocardiography and 48 hour holter monitoring after sinus conversion by electrical cardioversion

    When patient feel symptoms such as palpitation and chest discomfort, the patients are recommended to visit hospital to check out the recurrence of atrial fibrillation.

    3 months after electrical cardioversion

Secondary Outcomes (4)

  • Changes in function and volume of left atrium and left atrial appendage evaluated by echocardiography

    3 months after electrical cardioversion

  • Change of inflammation marker (hsCRP)

    3 months after electrical cardioversion

  • Number of Participants with Adverse Events (AEs)

    Participants will be followed for the duration of this study, an expected average 14 weeks

  • the factor to make atrial fibrillation recur

    3 months later after electrical cardioversion

Study Arms (2)

Active Acupuncture + flecainide

EXPERIMENTAL

The participants in this group receive verum acupuncture treatment once a week for 10 weeks and flecainide 75 mg twice daily.

Procedure: Active AcupunctureDrug: flecainide

Sham acupuncture + flecainide

SHAM COMPARATOR

The participants in this group receive sham acupuncture treatment once a week for 10 weeks and flecainide 75 mg twice daily.

Procedure: Sham acupunctureDrug: flecainide

Interventions

Active acupuncture treatment group consists of electroacupuncture (EA) and intradermal acupuncture (IDA). For EA treatment, unilateral PC5, PC6, ST36, and ST37 are chosen. Disposable, sterile needles and low frequency electrical stimulator (ES-160, ITO, Japan) are used. Each needle is inserted to the depth of 2 ± 0.5 cm with a 90 degree angle. Thereafter, needles are connected with the pole and electrical stimulation is applied with 2Hz, continuous wave current for 20 minutes. For IDA treatment, bilateral HT7 and TF4 are selected. Disposable, sterile, sticker-type needles (0.18 mm x 1.3 mm x 1.5mm) are used. Attached needles are maintained as long as possible.

Active Acupuncture + flecainide

For sham intervention, nonacupuncture points are used. As with active treatment group, two types of acupuncture, sham EA and sham IDA, compose the sham intervention. Electrical acupuncture is connected but electrical stimulation is not given to sham acupuncture group.

Sham acupuncture + flecainide

Both groups commonly take antiarrhythmic medication (flecainide 75 mg twice daily) during study period. Flecainide administration is initiated 2 weeks before electrical cardioversion and maintain during follow up period.

Also known as: tambocor
Active Acupuncture + flecainideSham acupuncture + flecainide

Eligibility Criteria

Age20 Years - 75 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Persistent AF lasting ≥ 7 days
  • Ages in 20-75 years
  • Resistant with antiarrhythmic drugs
  • Written informed consent

You may not qualify if:

  • Age below 20 years or above 75 years
  • Severe valvular heart disease
  • History of open heart surgery
  • History of treatment for myocardial infarction (MI) within recent 6 weeks
  • Patients under or requiring the administration of antiviral drugs
  • nd degree atrioventricular block or more than two fascicular block
  • Severe pulmonary, liver, or renal disease
  • Previous acupuncture treatment for cardiovascular condition within 3 months

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Kyung Hee University Medical Center

Seoul, Dongdaemun-gu, 130-701, South Korea

RECRUITING

Related Publications (2)

  • Lee SM, Leem J, Park JH, Yoon KH, Woo JS, Lee JM, Kim JB, Kim W, Lee S. Close look at the experiences of patients enrolled in a clinical trial of acupuncture treatment for atrial fibrillation in Korea: a qualitative study nested within a randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open. 2017 Feb 3;7(2):e013180. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-013180.

  • Park J, Kim HS, Lee SM, Yoon K, Kim WS, Woo JS, Lee S, Kim JB, Kim W. Acupuncture antiarrhythmic effects on drug refractory persistent atrial fibrillation: study protocol for a randomized, controlled trial. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:613970. doi: 10.1155/2015/613970. Epub 2015 Feb 17.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Atrial FibrillationRecurrence

Interventions

Flecainide

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Arrhythmias, CardiacHeart DiseasesCardiovascular DiseasesPathologic ProcessesPathological Conditions, Signs and SymptomsDisease Attributes

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

PiperidinesHeterocyclic Compounds, 1-RingHeterocyclic Compounds

Study Officials

  • Weon Kim, Professor

    Kyunghee University Medical Center

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Weon Kim, Professor

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
TRIPLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Professor

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

April 6, 2014

First Posted

April 10, 2014

Study Start

March 1, 2014

Primary Completion

July 1, 2015

Study Completion

July 1, 2015

Last Updated

April 10, 2014

Record last verified: 2014-04

Locations