Pace-and-ablate strategy in atrial fibrillation: who benefits and long-term outcomes
Official title: Patient Selection and Long-Term Outcomes in Patients With a Pace & Ablate Strategy for Interventional Rate Control in Symptomatic Permanent Atrial Fibrillation - A Retrospective Multicenter Analysis
Run by Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern · NCT07852221 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study looks at adults with atrial fibrillation who underwent AV node ablation with permanent pacing to see who develops pacing-induced problems and how they do long-term.
Quick facts
| Study type | Observational |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 2600 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern Academic / other |
| Locations | 5 sites (Zabrze and 4 other locations) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | January 5, 2011 |
| Main results expected | June 30, 2027 |
| Study ends | December 31, 2027 |
| Registry record updated | October 1, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07852221 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults (18+) with atrial fibrillation undergoing AV node ablation with a permanent device, with available baseline echocardiography.
✕Probably not a fit
Patients who have planned resynchronization therapy at baseline or who decline data use may not benefit from the findings.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
REPACE is a multicenter retrospective cohort from five European centers that includes over 2,000 patients ablated since 2011. The project collects baseline and follow-up data, adjudicates outcomes with blinded reviewers, and analyzes risk of pacing-induced cardiomyopathy among those without prior resynchronization therapy. It also evaluates health economics using country-specific cost data and examines procedural aspects and outcomes in those with or without conduction system pacing. The study does not specify a single interventional protocol but instead observes real-world practice and long-term results of the pace-and-ablate approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the study could clarify which patients are at risk for pacing-induced cardiomyopathy and guide decisions about pacing strategies to improve long-term heart function.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has explored pacing-induced cardiomyopathy risk, but large multicenter validation in the pace-and-ablate context remains limited.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 years or older at the time of atrioventricular node ablation * Atrial fibrillation, undergoing atrioventricular node ablation with a permanent cardiac implantable electronic device already in situ or implanted as part of the pace-and-ablate strategy * Availability of baseline echocardiographic data, including left ventricular ejection fraction Exclusion Criteria: \* Documented refusal of the further use of health-related data Note: cardiac resynchronisation therapy or conduction system pacing at baseline is not an eligibility exclusion. Such patients are included in the cohort and in the procedural and health-economic analyses, but are excluded from the validation of the pacing-induced cardiomyopathy risk model, in which a decline in left ventricular function would represent non-response to resynchronisation. No lower limit of baseline ejection fraction is applied.
Where it's running
-
Silesian Centre for Heart Diseases
Zabrze, Poland Recruiting -
Inselspital, Universitätsspital Bern
Bern, Canton of Bern, Switzerland Recruiting -
University Hospital Basel
Basel, Switzerland Recruiting -
Geneva University Hospitals
Geneva, Switzerland Recruiting -
Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital
Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Nikola A Kozhuharov, PD Dr. med. — Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern
- Study coordinator: Nikola A Kozhuharov, PD Dr. med.
- Email: nikola.kozhuharov@insel.ch
- Phone: +41 76 443 90 86
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.