What the trial was testing
The mSToPS enrolled 6,135 patients with atrial fibrillation. The study was sponsored by Scripps Translational Science Institute and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
Researchers followed patients through treatment and into recovery, tracking the outcomes that mattered most for the disease being studied.
What the results showed
3.9% vs. 0.9% — patch monitoring caught new AFib far more often.
JAMA · 2018 · NCT02506244
These findings — that new atrial fibrillation diagnoses at 4 months with patch monitoring vs. delayed start — were published in the JAMA and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 6,135 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with atrial fibrillation, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
The Zio patch and similar 2-week ECG monitors are FDA-cleared and widely available with a doctor's prescription. Apple Watches and similar consumer wearables can also flag AFib. Ask your primary care doctor or cardiologist about screening if you have AFib risk factors.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open atrial fibrillation trials
Effect of Mechanical Ventilation on Radiofrequency Ablation in Atrial Fibrillation
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) is performed under general anesthesia. The success of the procedure depends on the safe contact of the catheter electrode with the myocardium. Movement of the catheter tip due to respiratory changes can result in inadequate lesion formation and AF recurrence. The success of AF ablation depends on the adequacy of energy delivered to the myocardium and the durability of pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). Poor energy delivery and tissue heating during ablation are a major cause of procedural failure in RFA. To improve the success of the PVI procedure, efforts are underway to optimize catheter stability and contact force. However, catheter force and stability are influenced by respiration-induced thoracic motion, highlighting the importance of controlled breathing for further optimization. Fluoroscopy and ablation times during electroanatomic mapping-guided AF ablations improved with controlled mechanical ventilation. General anesthesia improved catheter contact. Low tidal volume, high respiratory rate (FCV), pressure controlled mechanical ventilation (PCV), volume controlled mechanical ventilation (VCV), pressure controlled volume assured mechanical ventilation (PRVC) can be used in investigators' hospital. The literature offers no definitive proof that one ablation procedure is superior to another.
PULSED AF Post-Approval Study
PULSED AF PAS is a prospective, global, multi-center, non-randomized, observational trial. Subjects will be treated with the PulseSelect™ PFA System and followed through 36 months.