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NCT04577859Completed

Esophageal Protection Study: A Multicenter Study

Improving Esophageal Protection During AF Ablation: a Multicenter Double-blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 8 Jul 2026

Brief summary (registry, in English)

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common debilitating heart rhythm condition that can cause heart failure and negatively impact a patient's outlook in terms of symptoms and disability. It is an irregular fast heart rhythm disorder coming from the top chamber of the heart (left atrium). Catheter ablation treatment has been shown to be effective in controlling or eliminating AF and its associated symptoms. This is now a common and effective treatment option for patients suffering with AF. During ablation, thermal energy is applied in the top chamber of the heart (the left atrium) to abolish abnormal electrical signals that cause AF. It is generally a safe procedure, but one potential risk associated with this procedure is damage to the esophagus caused by thermal energy being transmitted to the esophagus from the heart. The esophagus sits just behind the heart chamber where ablation work is performed, about 5mm away, so it is vulnerable to damage. Although the risk of severe esophageal damage is low, if it occurs it can be serious as the patient may become very ill as a result. In recent studies, it was shown that a more advanced type of esophageal probe (ensoETM) that cools the esophagus during ablation is better at protecting the esophagus from ablation-related injury compared to the standard care temperature monitoring probe currently used. The ensoETM is a CE marked and FDA-cleared device, with an intended purpose of controlling patient temperature and has received marketing authorization from FDA to reduce the likelihood of ablation-related esophageal injury resulting from radiofrequency cardiac ablation procedures. The purpose of this study is to determine if the long-term efficacy outcome results obtained in single pilot studies can be replicated in a prospective, multi-center randomized controlled trail comparing the the esophageal cooling probe versus a standard of care esophageal temperature monitoring probe. There is a 50:50 chance of the esophageal cooling probe being used during AF ablation for participants.

Status (registry)
Completed
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
152 (actual)
First submitted
30 Sept 2020
Start date
10 Mar 2022
Primary completion date
15 May 2026
Lead sponsor
Advanced Cooling Therapy LLC, d/b/a Attune Medical
NCT number
NCT04577859

What you commit to

  • Study type: Interventional
  • Participants enrolled: 152
  • From 10 Mar 2022 to the primary completion date, 15 May 2026
  • 6 sites in 2 countries
  • Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.

Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Prior treatment

  • Patients who have received a left atrial ablation procedure within the last 90 days. • • Patients enrolled in another clinical trial that might impact participation in this trial.

Age

  • Those in extremities of age (\<18 or \>85) will not be recruited.

Other

  • Inability to consent for any reason.
  • AF patients scheduled to have a radiofrequency AF ablation under local anesthesia
  • \*\* For patients electing to undergo the optional endoscopy, no contraindications to endoscopy should be present

Who the study is looking for

  • AF patients scheduled to have a radiofrequency AF ablation procedure under general anesthesia who pass standard care screening assessments.

Age in the registry: 18 years to 85 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (6)

Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.

SiteCityCountrySite status
St. George's Hospital
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
LondonUnited KingdomUnknown status
Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Research Foundation
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
AustinUnited StatesUnknown status
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
BostonUnited StatesUnknown status
NCH Research Institute
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
NaplesUnited StatesUnknown status
Kansas City Cardiac Arrhythmia Research LLC
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
Overland ParkUnited StatesUnknown status
University of Pennsylvania
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
PhiladelphiaUnited StatesUnknown status

This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.