ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT05814263Updated Apr 5, 2024

HIS Alternative II - UK Site

An interventional study of HIS/LBB pacing and LV pacing in Heart Failure and Left Bundle-Branch Block, sponsored by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Recruiting at 1 site in United Kingdom. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-04-05.

Sponsored by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Jan 2025, 1 year 10 months ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
  • Started Dec 2023; still recruiting 2 years 11 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
40
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The study will investigate the feasibility of using direct HIS pacing or left bundle branch pacing (LBB pacing) as an alternative to biventricular pacing in patients with symptomatic heart failure and an ECG with a typical left bundle branch block pattern.

Read the detailed description

Biventricular pacing has for more than a decade been standard of care for patients with HFrEF, LVEF \< 35%, NYHA II-IV despite optimal medical treatment and an ECG with left bundle branch block (LBBB). However, it is not always ideal because of several drawbacks such as phrenic nerve capture, inability to reach late activated areas and many more. Direct HIS pacing can in many cases capture the left bundle and provide normal electrical activation of the left ventricle but sometimes with high pacing thresholds. Recently direct left bundle branch pacing has shown promise with synchronous activation of the left ventricle at low pacing thresholds.

In the present study the investigators randomize 125 patients in one center to either conventional CRT (45 patients) or HIS/LBB pacing (80 patients). In the HIS/LBB arm, direct HIS-pacing is attempted first but if its not possible or the pacing threshold for capturing the left bundle branch is > 2.5 V at 1 ms the investigators switch to placing a LBB-lead.

Power calculation for non-inferiority: With the 50 patients in the first His Alternative study (25 Biv-CRT og 25 His-CRT) the investigators observed a fall in systolic volumes of 34% and 46% with a standard deviation of 13-16%. Using these numbers it would take at least 108 patients to be 90% sure that the lower limit of a one-sided 97.5% confidence interval (equal to a 95% two-sided confidence interval) would be over the non-inferiority limit of -10%.

02

Conditions studied

  • Heart Failure
  • Left Bundle-Branch Block
03

In context

Heart Failure

6,331 studies on the registry are indexed under Heart Failure; 1,396 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 40 is below the median of 76 across 4,049 interventional studies indexed under Heart Failure.

Browse Heart Failure studies →

Lead sponsor

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust is the lead sponsor of 80 studies on the registry; 19 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

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients over 18 years of age, ischemic or non-ischemic cardiomyopathy with ≤ 35% assessed by echocardiography, class II-IV heart failure symptoms despite optimal medical treatment and

    • Either planned new implantation of a biventricular pacing system (CRT-P or CRT-D), where the is with sinus rhythm and a typical left bundle branch block (see definition below)
    • Or planned upgrade of an existing pacemaker or ICD to a biventricular pacing system (CRT-P or CRT-D), where the ECG is with sinus rhythm and a typical left bundle branch block or there has been> 90% right ventricular pacing from an existing pacemaker for at least 2 months prior to enrollment
  • Signed
  • Typical left bundle branch block:

    • QRS width > 130 msec for women and > 140 msec for men QS or rS pattern in leads V1 and V2, and mid-QRS plateau phase with or without extras in at least 2 of leads V1, V2, V5, V6, I, and aVL

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Existing biventricular pacing system
  • Permanent atrial fibrillation
  • Severe renal failure with \< 30 ml/min
  • AMI or CABG within the last three months
  • The patient does not want to participate
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(5)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

LVEF (left ventricular ejection fraction)

The share of blood the heart’s main pumping chamber (the left ventricle) pushes out with each beat, measured by an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) or a MUGA scan. About 50–70% is normal.

NYHA class (heart failure)

The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.

I
No limits: ordinary activity causes no undue tiredness or breathlessness.
II
Slight limits: comfortable at rest, ordinary activity causes symptoms.
III
Marked limits: comfortable at rest, less than ordinary activity causes symptoms.
IV
Symptoms even at rest; any activity makes them worse.

Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.

ECG (electrocardiogram)

A recording of the heart’s electrical activity, taken with stickers on the chest, arms and legs. It takes a few minutes and does not hurt.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

GFR and eGFR (kidney filtering)

GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².

Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests too.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double (Participant, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
40 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    HIS/LBB pacing

    In this arm a right ventricular (RV) lead or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) lead is placed first and then implantation of a HIS-pacing lead is attempted. If it is not possible to find and pace HIS, to correct the LBBB or the threshold for correcting the LBBB is \> 2.5 V at 1 ms, implantation of a LBB-pacing lead is attempted instead. If that is not possible either, a left ventricular (LV) lead is implanted. Intervention: Device: HIS/LBB pacing

    Device: HIS/LBB pacing

  • Active comparator
    LV pacing

    In this arm an RV-lead or ICD-lead is placed first and then implantation of a LV-pacing lead is attempted. If this is not possible due to anatomical difficulties (no coronary sinus (CS) access, no available branches other than v cordis anterior or v cordis media) or electrical difficulties (no capture below 4 V at 1.0 msec or phrenic nerve stimulation \< 2x pacing threshold), implantation of a HIS-pacing lead is attempted instead. If that is not possible or the threshold for correcting the LBBB is \> 2.5 V at 1 ms, implantation of a LBB-pacing lead is attempted instead. Intervention: Device: LV pacing

    Device: LV pacing

Interventions

  • DeviceHIS/LBB pacing

    3830 lead to HIS or LBB

  • DeviceLV pacing

    LV lead in a CS branch

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Left ventricular end-systolic volume

    Echocardiographic response after 6 months defined as decrease in left ventricular systolic volume of ≥ 15% of baseline

    Time frame: 6 months

  2. Success rate of implanting a HIS-bundle lead with capture of the left bundle branch or a LBB-lead with narrowing of QRS

    The success rate of implanting a pacing lead to the HIS-bundle with capture of the left bundle at a threshold \< 2.5 V at 1 ms or implantation of a LBB lead with narrowing of the QRS duration and maintaining this effect at 6 month follow-up

    Time frame: 6 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in LVEF and left ventricular chamber dimensions

    Echocardiographic response assessed by chamber dimensions and LVEF on a continuous scale

    Time frame: 6 months

  2. Change in 6-min hall-walk test

    Functional response after 6 months defined as an increase in 6-min walking distance of ≥ 20% of the initial value

    Time frame: 6 months

  3. Change in NYHA class

    Symptomatic response after 6 months defined as a fall in NYHA class of ≥ 1

    Time frame: 6 months

  4. Change in Minnesota Living with Heart Failure score

    Change in well-being after 6 months defined as a decrease in Minnesota Living With Heart Failure score of ≥ 15% of baseline

    Time frame: 6 months

  5. Shortening of QRS duration

    Shortening the duration of the QRS complex defined as the widest paced QRS complex rated at 12-lead ECG after 6 months

    Time frame: 6 months

  6. Change in NT-pro BNP value

    Change in NT-pro BNP value

    Time frame: 6 months

  7. Complications

    Device-related complications (periprocedural: electrode reoperation, pneumothorax, hemothorax, pericardial bleeding/tamponade and later (after 30 days post implantation): LV/HIS electrode reoperation, change of device due to battery depletion and infection requiring extraction).

    Time frame: 6 months

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes — Will share data with international arm of the project NCT04409119

Supporting information: Study protocol, Statistical analysis plan, Clinical study report, Analytic code

Time frame: 6 months following final recruitment

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 Apr 5, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05814263
Lead sponsor
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Apr 14, 2023
Start date
Dec 1, 2023
Primary completion
Jan 1, 2025 (estimated)
Completion
Jan 1, 2025 (estimated)
Last update
Apr 5, 2024

Study contacts

Daniel Keene, MBChB
Contact
daniel.keene@nhs.net
020 3313 1000
mohamed zuhair, MBBS
Contact
m.zuhair@nhs.net
020 3313 1000

Oversight

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

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