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CompletedNCT02578979Updated Jul 8, 2019

Serial ECG Versus Holter to Detect Atrial Fibrillation in Elderly Ischemic Stroke Patients

An interventional study of Electrocardiogram and Holter in Ischemic Stroke, sponsored by Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Completed at 6 sites in Taiwan. Open to participants aged 65 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2019-07-08.

Sponsored by Chang Gung Memorial Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Diagnostic

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
826
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
65 Years and older
Sex
All
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Study summary

Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation is often undetected because characteristics such as short duration, episodic, and frequently asymptomatic nature make it challenging to diagnose at the bedside, leading to suboptimal secondary prevention. It is not uncommon for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation to be undetected in a single electrocardiogram (ECG) on admission. Conventional 24-hour Holter monitoring is often used to detect paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. However, systematic review suggests Holter monitoring will identify atrial fibrillation in only an additional 4.6% of patients, no better than detection rates observed in groups lacking routine monitoring. On the other hand, for ischemic stroke patients with sinus rhythm at baseline but paroxysmal atrial fibrillation still suspected, no recommendation beyond repeated 12-lead ECGs is made in the United Kingdom guideline. Serial 12-lead ECG has been used to detect possible paroxysmal atrial fibrillation among acute ischemic stroke patients and found 15 new cases of atrial fibrillation in 133 acute ischemic stroke patients (11.3%) without atrial fibrillation at baseline. The optimal investigation strategy, including modality, duration of investigation, and patient subgroup remains undefined, not only for efficacy in the detection of atrial fibrillation, but also cost-effectiveness in healthcare systems. The objective of this project is to conduct a pragmatic multicenter randomized controlled trial for the comparison of serial 12-lead ECG once daily for 5 days and 24-hour Holter to detect paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in acute ischemic stroke patients without atrial fibrillation identified by baseline ECG or history.

Read the detailed description

Investigators plan to enroll 900 participants from six hospitals in Taiwan. Patients will be eligible for enrollment if they are admitted due to acute ischemic stroke within 2 days, with 65 years of age or older, do not have known atrial fibrillation on history or baseline ECG at admission. Investigators will randomly assigned participants in a 1:1 ratio to undergo daily 12-lead ECG once daily for 5 days (intervention group) or 24-hour Holter monitoring (control group).

02

Conditions studied

  • Ischemic Stroke

Keywords

  • atrial fibrillation
  • ischemic stroke
  • electrocardiogram
  • holter
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In context

Stroke

7,286 studies on the registry are indexed under Stroke; 2,013 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 826 is above the median of 50 across 5,366 interventional studies indexed under Stroke.

Browse Stroke studies →

Lead sponsor

Chang Gung Memorial Hospital is the lead sponsor of 1,064 studies on the registry; 235 are open to participants now.

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

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
65 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  1. Cerebral ischemia defined as stroke (sudden focal neurologic deficit lasting >24 h consistent with the territory of a major cerebral artery and categorized as ischemic) and/or a corresponding lesion on brain imaging
  2. Stroke symptoms within 2 days
  3. Age ≥65 years

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. History of atrial fibrillation or documented atrial fibrillation prior to randomization
  2. Indication for oral anticoagulation at randomization
  3. Absolute contraindication for oral anticoagulation at randomization
  4. Intracerebral hemorrhage in medical history
  5. Implanted pacemaker device or cardioverter/defibrillator
  6. End stage renal disease
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Diagnostic
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
826 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    ECG for 5 days

    Patients will receive 12-lead electrocardiogram for 5 days during their hospitalization.

    Device: Electrocardiogram

  • Active comparator
    24-h Holter

    Patients will receive a 24-h Holter during their hospitalization.

    Device: Holter

Interventions

  • DeviceElectrocardiogram

    Patients will receive electrocardiogram for detecting atrial fibrillation - a 5-day routine ECG.

  • DeviceHolter

    Patients will receive electrocardiogram for detecting atrial fibrillation - a 24-h Holter.

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of atrial fibrillation detected

    Time frame: within 3 month of stroke onset

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Study locations

6 sites
  • Chia-yi Christian Hospital
    Chiayi City, 600, Taiwan
  • Dalin Tzu Chi General Hospital
    Dalin, 622, Taiwan
  • Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung Branch
    Keelung, 204, Taiwan
  • Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi Branch
    Puzih, 613, Taiwan
  • National Taiwan University Hospital
    Taipei City, 100, Taiwan
  • Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkuo Branch
    Taoyuan, 333, Taiwan
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Huang WY, Lee M, Sung SF, Tang SC, Chang KH, Huang YS, Lee JD, Lee TH, Jeng JS, Chung CM, Wu YL, Hsieh TT, Ovbiagele B. Atrial fibrillation trial to evaluate real-world procedures for their utility in helping to lower stroke events: A randomized clinical trial. Int J Stroke. 2021 Apr;16(3):300-310. doi: 10.1177/1747493020938297. Epub 2020 Jul 8. PubMed 32640882 ↗
  • Hsieh TT, Lee M, Huang WY, Tang SC, Sung SF, Chang KH, Lee JD, Lee TH, Huang YS, Jeng JS, Chung CM, Wu YL, Ovbiagele B. Atrial fibrillation trial to evaluate real-world procedures for their utility in helping to lower stroke events (AFTER-PULSE): Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Contemp Clin Trials Commun. 2017 Jun;6:127-130. doi: 10.1016/j.conctc.2017.04.005. Epub 2017 Apr 26. PubMed 29082335 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jul 8, 2019, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02578979
Lead sponsor
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
Collaborators
National Taiwan University Hospital, Chiayi Christian Hospital, Dalin Tzu Chi General Hospital
Responsible party
Meng Lee (Associate Professor, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital) — Principal investigator
First posted
Oct 19, 2015
Start date
Oct 1, 2015
Primary completion
Jul 31, 2018
Completion
Oct 31, 2018
Last update
Jul 8, 2019

Study contacts

Meng Lee, MD
principal investigator · Chang Gung Memorial Hospital

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Jul 2019. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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