AF Ablation With High Power Short Duration RF

To join this study, you would need to have been diagnosed with either paroxysmal AF (meaning your AF comes and goes) or persistent AF (meaning your AF is ongoing). You also need to be taking anticoagulant medication, which helps prevent blood clots. Importantly, you'll need to read and sign a consent form, showing you understand the study and agree to take part.

There are also reasons why you might not be able to join. For example, if you've already had an ablation procedure for AF in the past or if your heart's pumping function (LVEF) is less than 35%, you wouldn't be able to participate. If you are a woman who could become pregnant, or if you have certain heart problems like congenital heart disease or have had heart surgery within the last month, you wouldn't be able to join either. Also, if there are medical reasons you can't be exposed to X-rays, you would not be eligible.

If you decide to take part, you'll first have screening appointments to make sure the study is right for you. Your existing blood-thinning medication (anticoagulation) will usually continue, though any anti-arrhythmic drugs you're taking may be stopped before the procedure. Depending on your health, you might have a special heart scan called a transoesophageal echocardiogram before the ablation. Additional scans like a cardiac MRI or CT might also be done.

The ablation procedure itself will be carried out in hospital. You’ll be given medication to help you relax (mild or deep sedation) or a general anaesthetic. During the procedure, doctors will place special catheters into your heart, usually through veins in your leg, to map your heart's electrical signals and perform the ablation. After the procedure, you will have follow-up appointments over 12 months to monitor your heart rhythm and see if the AF has returned. The study aims to enrol at least 850 patients.