CClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT04036695Updated Jun 26, 2026

Arrhythmia in Hemodialysis Patients

An interventional study of Reveal LINQ insertable cardiac monitoring system in Arrythmia, Cardiac, Sudden Cardiac Death and Hemodialysis, sponsored by London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's. Completed at 2 sites in Canada. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-26.

Sponsored by London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's · Not applicable, Interventional, and Diagnostic

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
18
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Patients receiving dialysis for kidney failure suffer from very high rates of sudden cardiac death due to abnormal heart rhythms and perfusion defects associated with HD treatment. It has previously been recognized that patients suffer heart injury during the dialysis procedure which may be an important factor for investigation. The study uses a simple implantable device that can monitor heart rhythms over time to gather information on the type of abnormal rhythms that occur in dialysis patients. This information will be combined with ultrasound and x-ray scans of the heart that will also be collected. The goal is to understand the relationship between the abnormal rhythms and injury to the heart during dialysis and what causes these injuries. The information gathered in this study will be used to compare the accuracy of an in house personalized computational model to predict potential cardiac injuries when patients undergo HD treatment.

Read the detailed description

This is an exploratory, single group, observational study involving patients recruited from the dialysis patient population of the London Health Science Centre (LHSC) Regional Renal Program. Recruited patients will undergo insertion of the Reveal LINQ insertable cardiac monitoring system and will continuously be examined over a time period of up to 12 to 24 months to gather data on the incidence of arrhythmia.

Those patients enrolled into the study will have their first study session on their midweek dialysis treatment day (Wednesday or Thursday) at St. Joseph's Hospital. During the first study visit, all participants will have an external multichannel ECG, CT scan, CT angiogram, and 2D echo done. In addition to this, all participants will have non-invasive monitoring of circulatory stress using the CVInsight contact device, and blood work will be drawn. Within one month, all participants will have a second study visit where they will undergo the same study procedures as in session one with the addition of up to 30 minutes of intradialytic exercise. This visit will also take place at St. Joseph's Hospital on a mid-week dialysis treatment day. If a patient would like to, they will then undergo an insertion procedure of the Reveal LINQ insertable cardiac monitoring system on a dialysis or non-dialysis treatment day at University Hospital. Dr. Allan Skanes (CoInvestigator) will perform this procedure at his earliest convenience. The implantable loop recorder will be interrogated at least once a month for up to 12 months to retrieve the information that has been recorded during their hemodialysis treatment. During this time, the patient participant will complete a questionnaire too using the LEVIL application. Then, 12 months after the initial insertion of the device, a follow-up call will be completed by a member of the research team where the patient will have the choice to have the device removed if desired. If the patient chooses to keep the device, we will monitor the implantable loop recorder for another year and the patient will be transferred to LHSC's Inherited Heart Rhythm Clinic at University Hospital for clinical monitoring after this. Completion of the questionnaire will continue during this time. If they choose to have the device removed, the cardiac electrophysiologist will remove the device at his earliest convenience.

Bloodwork will be obtained pre and post dialysis as well as at peak stress of each imaging session. This will allow us to assess for relevant biomarkers of oxidative stress, myocardial ischemia, and volume overload.

02

Conditions studied

  • Arrythmia, Cardiac
  • Sudden Cardiac Death
  • Hemodialysis
03

In context

Arrhythmias, Cardiac

885 studies on the registry are indexed under Arrhythmias, Cardiac; 234 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 18 is below the median of 99 across 429 interventional studies indexed under Arrhythmias, Cardiac.

Browse Arrhythmias, Cardiac studies →

Lead sponsor

London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's is the lead sponsor of 309 studies on the registry; 126 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

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

Inclusion criteria

  • No significant residual renal function (\<250ml of urine per day).
  • Must be on hemodialysis for at least 3 months
  • Age ≥18 years
  • Able/willing to provide informed consent

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of a pacemaker and implantable cardioverter defibrillator
  • Prior diagnosis of chronic arrhythmia and/or are on anti-arrhythmic drugs
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Diagnostic
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
18 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Reveal LINQ insertable cardiac monitoring system

    In this all study, participants will have the option to undergo an insertion procedure of the Reveal LINQ insertable cardiac monitoring system on a dialysis or non-dialysis treatment day at University Hospital. The implantable loop recorder will be monitored at least once a week for up to 12 months.

    Device: Reveal LINQ insertable cardiac monitoring system

Interventions

  • DeviceReveal LINQ insertable cardiac monitoring system

    A small implantable cardiac monitor (Reveal LINQ device) will be inserted under local anaesthetic in an outpatient procedure. The Reveal LINQ device is composed of two electrodes and is used to continuously monitor electric activity temporally. It can detect arrhythmic episode and record up to 27 minutes of electrocardiographic (ECG) activity. This device is capable of continuous monitoring of patient's ECG activity for up to three years and will be utilized in this study to obtain initial information on the timing and nature of the arrhythmia suffered by hemodialysis patients leading to SCD.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Temporal association between dialysis induced cardiac injury and frequency of arrhythmia

    The primary outcome will be to determine the correlation between dialysis cardiac injury and the rate of arrhythmia. This will be measured by comparing perfusion heterogeneity in CT images to the rhythms recorded on the Reveal LINQ heart monitor.

    Time frame: Through heart monitoring of 12 months

  2. Temporal association between dialysis induced cardiac injury and electrophysiological substrate responsible for arrhythmia.

    The primary outcome will be to determine the correlation between dialysis cardiac injury and the electrophysiological substrate responsible for arrhythmia. This will be measured by comparing perfusion heterogeneity in CT images to the results of the electrophysiological maps.

    Time frame: Through imaging session, on average of 4 hours

07

Study locations

2 sites
  • University Hospital
    London, Ontario N6A 5A5, Canada
  • Kidney Care Centre
    London, Ontario N6K 1M6, Canada
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jun 26, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04036695
Lead sponsor
London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's
Responsible party
Chris McIntyre (Professor of Medicine, Medical Biophysics, and Paediatrics, London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jul 30, 2019
Start date
Oct 17, 2019
Primary completion
May 1, 2023
Completion
Jun 24, 2026
Last update
Jun 26, 2026

Study contacts

Christopher W McIntyre, MD
principal investigator · London Health Sciences Centre

Oversight

FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Jun 2026. 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