Purpose

ASCEND is a randomized controlled open-label pilot study evaluating the safety and effectiveness of pulsed field ablation (PFA) with the novel FARAPOINT catheter compared to the standard radiofrequency (RFA) ablation with ThermoCool ST/FlexAbility SE/ThermoCool ST SF/TactiFlex SE of ventricular tachycardia (VT) in the patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). The study hypothesis is that the PFA ablation is more efficient compared to the RFA technique but retains a comparable safety profile.

Conditions

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 18 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

must meet all of the following: 1. Age ≥18 years. 2. Ischemic heart disease with prior myocardial infarction. 3. Left ventricular ejection fraction ≥20% estimated by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) within 90 days prior to enrollment. 4. Documented sustained monomorphic VT with any of the following characteristics: 1. ≥2documented episodes in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) 2. ≥1 documented episode(s) in patients without ICD 3. Recurrent VT despite antiarrhythmic medications (ineffective, contraindicated or not tolerated) or ICD interventions 5. Provision of signed and dated informed consent form. 6. Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study.

Exclusion Criteria

any of the following: 1. Unable to provide informed consent. 2. Idiopathic VT. 3. Mobile LV thrombus. 4. Acute coronary syndrome within the preceding 2 months (if incessant VT ≥1 month before enrollment). 5. Comorbidity likely to limit survival to <12 months 6. New York Heart Association class IV heart failure. 7. Estimated glomerular filtration rate <30 ml/min/1.73m2. 8. Thrombocytopenia or coagulopathy. 9. Contraindication to heparin. 10. Pregnancy or lactation. 11. Cardiac surgery within the past 2 months. 12. Active infection. 13. Clinical, laboratory or imaging evidence of active ischemia. 14. Severe left heart valvular heart disease (aortic/mitral stenosis or regurgitation). 15. Any concomitant congenital heart disease. 16. Prior catheter or surgical ablation of VT within the past 2 months. 17. Anticipated need for epicardial mapping and ablation. 18. For individuals with no pre-existing ICD: Ineligibility for an ICD implant. 19. Pre-existing LVAD or other hemodynamic assist device 20. Present mechanical heart valve 21. cardiogenic shock unless it is due to incessant VT

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Active Comparator
RFA Ablation
VT ablation with ThermoCool ST, FlexAbility SE, ThermoCool ST SF or TactiFlex SE catheters
  • Device: RFA Ablation
    RFA ablation of VT substrate using FlexAbility or ThermoCool ST catheter
Experimental
PFA Ablation
VT ablation with FARAPOINT catheter
  • Device: PFA Ablation
    PFA ablation of VT substrate using FARAPOINT catheter

Recruiting Locations

Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, Ohio 44195
Contact:
Pasquale Santangeli, MD, PhD
216-445-1940
santanp3@ccf.org

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Pasquale Santangeli

Study Contact

Pasquale Santangeli, MD, PhD
216-445-1940
santanp3@ccf.org

Detailed Description

The ASCEND trial is a pilot study that will test the hypothesis that the novel FARAPOINT catheter and the FARAPULSE PFA platform can accomplish ischemic substrate VT ablation more efficiently and with a similar safety profile compared to a contemporary, widely adopted RFA technology (ThermoCool ST/FlexAbility SE/ThermoCool ST SF/TactiFlex SE). ASCEND is a single center, controlled (two-arm), 1:1 parallel-randomized, open-label pilot study of 40 consecutively enrolled patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and drug refractory or drug intolerant VT in whom a catheter ablation procedure is indicated. The study intervention consists of the use of a novel FARAPOINT PFA catheter during the entire VT ablation procedure. Patients randomized to the control arm of the study will undergo VT ablation using a contemporary standard-of-care technology (ThermoCool ST/FlexAbility SE/ThermoCool ST SF/TactiFlex SEcatheters). This pilot study is designed to test for superiority with respect to the primary efficacy metric and to ensure comparable safety profiles of both ablation methods.

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.