CClinicalTrials.gg
TerminatedNCT00321282Updated Sep 27, 2013

A Retrospective Analysis of the Predictive Potential of Pre-operative

A Phase 2 interventional study of Atrial Fibrillation in Coronary Artery Bypass, sponsored by Emory University. Terminated at 3 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2013-09-27.

Sponsored by Emory University · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

Why this study was terminated
The study never started.
Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
600
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
18 Years to 65 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Roughly thirty percent of people that undergo open heart surgery get an abnormal heart beat afterwards known as atrial fibrillation (AF). While not life threatening, this abnormal heart beat increases the likelihood of stroke and delays recovery. There are strategies to prevent post-operative AF, but they are costly and sometimes have undesirable side effects. Therefore, it would be best if we use these preventive treatments only in high risk patients.

We intend to develop a risk prediction model based on demographic and electrocardiogram (ECG) findings that will predicted who is likely to get AF. We will develop this model using data already available on patients who have undergone cardiac surgery. The development of this model will use the latest mathematical algorithms similar to those used to study genetic evolution. This type of model is capable of looking at many parameters in an unbiased way, so that only the strongest, independent predictors remain in the final model. Once, the model is developed, we will validate the model by comparing our predictions to actual outcomes previously recorded in the database.

Read the detailed description

1.0 Background Currently, roughly thirty percent of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients develop atrial fibrillation (AF) in the five days following surgery, increasing the risk of stroke, prolonging hospital stay three to four days, and increasing the overall cost of the procedure [1, 2]. According to some sources, over $1 billion is spent annually on this problem in the US alone [2]. Current pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic means of AF prevention are suboptimal, and their side effects, expense, and inconvenience limit their widespread use in all patients [3].

Though many methods have been presented touting high predictive value in terms of sensitivity and specificity for post-operative AF, none are reliable enough for use in a clinical setting. This may be due to the lack of a standardized method for the measurement of certain morphological P wave features in ECG analyses [4]. Furthermore, the medical community has relied on limited variable combination methods for much too long, especially while there are advanced methods of data mining and decision-making to be harnessed. A Bayesian network (BN) is an excellent tool for making decisions based on collected information and is even able to handle missing data points well [5]. By combining more types of data and expert knowledge into a BN with a Bayesian statistical approach, better accuracy is the likely result.

2.0 Objectives

The main objective of this research is to develop a Bayesian network (BN) classifier which can model/predict/assign risk of the occurrence of atrial fibrillation in coronary artery bypass graft patients through the incorporation of different types of patient data. Expert knowledge coming from doctors in the field will be combined using Bayesian statistics with patient data and electrocardiogram (ECG) analysis, improving on the Frequentist methods currently used. We intend to investigate profit or loss due to the inclusion of the following data types:

  • Collected Data- Risk factors and other medical indicators recorded in the hospital
  • ECG Features- Time, frequency, wavelet, and nonlinear domain features derived from the ECG signal showing AF prediction potential
  • Expert Knowledge- Cardiologist modified probability distribution and frequency beliefs of input data based on past experience This study will analyze data from patients who underwent cardiac surgery at Emory University Hospital, Crawford Long Hospital, or the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The collected data will include demographic, pre-operative, operative, and post-operative all taken from the patient's chart. ECG and available telemetry data will also be collected and analyzed for morphological features, which may yield AF predisposition clues.

Following development of the AF prediction algorithm, this will be tested on a subset of the data points extracted from the database. This study is a feasibility study for further funded research.

3.0 Patient Selection 3.1 Eligibility criteria:

  1. All patients that patients who underwent cardiac surgery in the Emory University Hospital, Crawford Long Hospital, or the VA Medical Center.

3.2 Ineligibility criteria:

  1. Emergent operations.
  2. The presence of AF or Aflut at the time of surgery.
  3. New York Heart Association (NYHA) class IV heart failure at the time of surgery.
  4. Hyperthyroidism
  5. Implanted devices for designed for active management of atrial arrhythmias by pacing or defibrillation
  6. Known illicit drug use
  7. Known ethanol abuse
  8. Electrophysiological ablation for atrial tachycardia within 6 months of the operation.

4.0 Registration and randomization: none

5.0 Therapy: none

6.0 Pathology: none

7.0 Patient assessment: none

8.0 Data collection: Data will be collected from review of the patient's hospital charts, from telemetry recordings, and ECGs. The presence or absence of atrial fibrillation will be diagnosed on the basis of an electrocardiographic recording and confirmed by a cardiologist. Data collected will include: age, race, sex, body mass index, blood pressure, NYHA classification, Killip classification, and the history of previous myocardial infarction, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, alcohol use, antiarrhythmic drug use, presence and type of pacemaker if any, history of AF or Aflut, previous cardiovascular events, type of operation, and length of operation. Patients enrolled in this study will be given unique study numbers and all identifying information will be removed after correlation between telemetry and chart data are established. No follow up data will be required from patients.

9.0 Statistical considerations: This study design is a retrospective chart review of a cohort of patients undergoing cardiac surgery to determine variable combinations that predict atrial fibrillation following cardiac surgery. Within the cohort, those patients with AF will be compared to those without these atrial arrhythmias in the post-operative period. Probability tables will be developed using both groups, thereby populating a predictive Bayesian network structure. Many different structures will be evaluated using an artificial intelligence technique (genetic algorithms), which will evolve the structure to its optimal form. K-fold cross-validation will then be used to validate the predictive ability of the Bayesian network structure. Sensitivities, specificities, and positive predictive values will be reported on the results of this validation.

02

Conditions studied

  • Coronary Artery Bypass

Keywords

  • Atrial Fibrillation
  • Coronary Artery Bypass Graft
  • Risk Stratification
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Emory University is the lead sponsor of 1,386 studies on the registry; 236 are open to participants now.

Of its 229 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 174 (76%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 65 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

To prevent post-operative atrial fibrillation

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

-

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomized
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
600 participants (estimated)

Interventions

  • ProcedureAtrial Fibrillation
06

Study locations

3 sites
  • Emory University Hospital
    Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
  • Crawford Long Hospital
    Atlanta, Georgia 30365, United States
  • Veterans Administration Medical Center
    Decatur, Georgia 30033, United States
07

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 27, 2013, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
08

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00321282
Lead sponsor
Emory University
Responsible party
Samuel C. Dudley, Jr. (Principal Investigator, Emory University) — Principal investigator
First posted
May 3, 2006
Start date
Feb 2006
Primary completion
Jul 2007
Completion
Jul 2007
Last update
Sep 27, 2013

Study contacts

Samuel C. Dudley, Jr., MD, PhD
principal investigator · Atlanta VAMC/Emory University

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is terminated, as verified in Sep 2013. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion