CClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT05836987REACT-AFUpdated Sep 29, 2026

The Rhythm Evaluation for AntiCoagulaTion With Continuous Monitoring of Atrial Fibrillation

A Phase 3 interventional study of AFSW Guided DOAC and Continuous DOAC therapy in Atrial Fibrillation, sponsored by Johns Hopkins University. Recruiting at 93 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 22 Years to 85 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-29.

Sponsored by Johns Hopkins University · Phase 3, Interventional, and Prevention

Phase
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
5,350
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
22 Years to 85 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

REACT-AF is a multicenter prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded endpoint (PROBE design), controlled trial comparing the current Standard Of Care (SOC) of continuous Direct Oral Anticoagulation (DOAC) use versus time-delimited (1 month) DOAC guided by an AF-sensing Smart Watch (AFSW) in participants with a history of paroxysmal or persistent Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and low-to-moderate stroke risk.

Read the detailed description

REACT-AF is a prospective, unblinded, randomized (1:1 allocation), multi-center, investigational clinical trial of men and women aged 22-85 with a documented history of symptomatic or asymptomatic paroxysmal or persistent (AF) and a moderate risk of stroke measured by CHA2DS2-VASc score 1-5 for men, 2-5 for women (which stands for Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age ≥75 (doubled), Diabetes, Stroke (doubled), Vascular disease, age 65 to 74 and sex category (female)). Participants randomized to the experimental arm (on demand DOAC) will take the participants DOAC for 30 consecutive days following a qualifying AF episode (i.e., greater than1 hour) detected by the AFSW. Participants randomized to the standard of care (control) arm will remain on previously prescribed continuous DOAC throughout the study.

A total of 5350 participants will be enrolled across up to 100 study sites targeting two-thirds academic and one-third private practices, with academic practices also enrolling from affiliated community sites. The investigators anticipate evaluating 7643 consented individuals with external monitoring to ensure that a low AF burden population will be randomized. Up to 200 participants may be enrolled at any one site, and participation will last up to 60 months.

02

Conditions studied

  • Atrial Fibrillation

Keywords

  • Atrial Fibrillation
  • Anticoagulation
  • AF-sensing Smart Watch
  • Ischemic Stroke
  • Systemic Embolism
03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
22 Years to 85 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  1. 22-85 years of age.
  2. English speaking participants. Spanish-only speakers may be included in the future at select sites appropriately translated.
  3. History of non-permanent atrial fibrillation.
  4. CHA2DS2-VASC score of 1-5 for men and 2-5 for women without prior stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), The CHA2DS2-VASc score is a point-based system used to stratify the risk of stroke in Atrial Fibrillation (AF) patients. The acronym CHA2DS2-VASc stands for congestive heart failure, hypertension, age ≥75 (doubled), diabetes, stroke (doubled), vascular disease, age 65 to 74 and sex category (female). Congestive heart failure defined as: The presence of signs and symptoms of either right (elevated central venous pressure, hepatomegaly, dependent edema) or left ventricular failure (exertional dyspnea, cough, fatigue, orthopnea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, cardiac enlargement, rales, gallop rhythm, pulmonary venous congestion) or both, confirmed by non-invasive or invasive measurements demonstrating objective evidence of cardiac dysfunction and/or ejection fraction \< 40%.
  5. The participant is on a DOAC at the time of screening and willing to stay on DOAC for duration of study.
  6. Willing and able to comply with the protocol, including:

    • Possession of a smart watch-compatible smart phone (iPhone that supports the latest shipping iOS) with a cellular service plan
    • Be willing to wear the smart watch for the suggested minimum of 14 hours a day
    • Expected to be within cellular service range at least 80% of the time
  7. Willing and able to discontinue DOAC
  8. The participant is willing and able to provide informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Valvular or permanent atrial fibrillation.
  2. Current treatment with warfarin and unwilling or unable to take a DOAC.
  3. The participant is a woman who is pregnant or nursing.
  4. The participant is being treated with chronic daily oral NSAIDs and is unwilling or unable to discontinue use for the study duration. Use of low-dose aspirin is permitted.
  5. Existing cardiac rhythm device or indication for a permanent pacemaker, Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD) or Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) device or planned insertable cardiac monitor. Insertable cardiac monitors are permitted unless they are being used to guide anticoagulation treatment.
  6. Known or suspected symptomatic or asymptomatic atrial fibrillation lasting ≥ 1 hour/month over the last 3 months.
  7. Any documented single AF episode lasting ≥ 1 hour on a cardiac monitor performed within 90 days prior to randomization.
  8. Ablation for AF within the last 2 months.
  9. Prior or anticipated left atrial appendage occlusion or ligation.
  10. Mechanical prosthetic valve(s) or severe valve disease.
  11. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
  12. Participant needs DOAC for reasons other than preventing stroke or arterial embolism resulting from AF (i.e., preventing Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) or PE) or needs permanent OAC (i.e., congenital heart defects, prosthetic heart valve).
  13. Participants deemed high risk for non-cardioembolic stroke (i.e., significant carotid artery disease defined as stenosis > 75%) based on the investigator's discretion.
  14. The participant is enrolled, has participated within the last 30 days, or is planning to participate in a concurrent drug and/or device study during the course of this clinical trial. Co-enrollment in concurrent trials is only allowed with documented pre-approval from the study manager; there is no concern that co-enrollment could confound the results of this trial.
  15. The participant has a tattoo, birthmark, or surgical scar over the dorsal wrist area on the ipsilateral side that the AFSW may be worn.
  16. The participant has a tremor on their ipsilateral side that the AFSW may be worn.
  17. Any concomitant condition that, in the investigator's opinion, would not allow safe participation in the study (e.g., drug addiction, alcohol abuse).
  18. Known hypersensitivity or contraindication to direct oral anticoagulants.
  19. Documented prior stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic) or transient ischemic attack.
  20. Reversible causes of AF (e.g., cardiac surgery, pulmonary embolism, untreated hyperthyroidism). AF ablation does not constitute reversible AF.
  21. > 5% burden of premature atrial or ventricular depolarizations on pre-enrollment cardiac monitoring.
  22. History of ECG-documented, sustained atrial flutter that has not been treated with ablation (participants with atrial flutter who have been ablated are eligible for enrollment)
  23. Stage 4 or 5 chronic kidney disease.
  24. Conditions associated with an increased risk of bleeding:

    • Major surgery in the previous month
    • Planned surgery or intervention in the next three months that would require cessation of anticoagulation > 2 weeks.
    • History of intracranial, intraocular, spinal, retroperitoneal, or atraumatic intra- articular bleeding
    • Gastrointestinal hemorrhage within the past year unless the cause has been permanently eliminated (e.g., by surgery)
    • Symptomatic or endoscopically documented gastroduodenal ulcer disease in the previous 30 days
    • Hemorrhagic disorder or bleeding diathesis
    • Need for anticoagulant treatment for disorders other than AF
    • Uncontrolled hypertension (Systolic Blood Pressure >180 mmHg and/or Diastolic Blood Pressure >100 mmHg)
04

Study design

Phase
Phase 3
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
5,350 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    AFSW Guided DOAC

    All participants randomized to the experimental arm will be provided with an AFSW that will be linked to the participants Apple watch and the secure REACT-AF app within the Eureka cloud. The AFSW will intermittently and passively assess for rhythm irregularities consistent with AF and notify the wearer and coordinating center if a threshold AF event has occurred.

    Device: AFSW Guided DOAC

  • Active comparator
    Continuous DOAC therapy

    All participants randomized to the control arm will remain on previously prescribed FDA-approved DOAC regimen as indicated by current practice standards. These participants will continuously take DOAC through the course of the study as prescribed by the participants primary physician unless otherwise contraindicated. Participants in the control arm will also use the REACT-AF mobile app within the Eureka platform via Apple watch for study follow-up activities, but the participants will not receive an AFSW and any personally owned Apple Watch will not be loaded with the customized REACT-AF detection algorithm nor participant notification apps.

    Drug: Continuous DOAC therapy

Interventions

  • DeviceAFSW Guided DOAC

    The AFSW will intermittently and passively assess for rhythm irregularities consistent with AF and notify the wearer and coordinating center if a threshold AF event has occurred.

    Also known as: Apple Watch

  • DrugContinuous DOAC therapy

    DOACs will be prescribed to patients according to the treating healthcare provider(s) according to labeling instructions.

    Also known as: Oral Anticoagulation therapy

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. To assess whether AFSW-guided, time-delimited DOAC therapy is non-inferior to continuous DOAC therapy for a composite endpoint that includes: (1) Ischemic stroke; (2) Systemic embolism; (3) All-cause mortality.

    The primary objective (efficacy objective) of the REACT-AF trial is to assess whether AFSW-guided, time-delimited DOAC therapy is non-inferior to continuous DOAC therapy for a composite endpoint that includes: (1) Ischemic stroke; (2) Systemic embolism; and (3) All-cause mortality. Stroke is defined as an acute episode of focal or global neurological dysfunction caused by brain, spinal cord, or retinal vascular injury as a result of hemorrhage or infarction; and classified as ischemic, hemorrhagic, or cause unknown based on CT or Magnetic Resonance (MR) scanning or autopsy. Systemic embolism is defined as an acute vascular occlusion of the extremities or any organ and must be documented by angiography, surgery, scintigraphy, or autopsy and require hospitalization. All-cause mortality will be defined as the underlying disease or injury that initiates the train of events resulting in death.

    Time frame: At 60 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. To assess whether AFSW-guided, time-delimited DOAC therapy significantly reduces major bleeding events compared to continuous DOAC therapy.

    Oral anticoagulation carries a risk of major bleeding, including life-threatening hemorrhage, the intervention is expected to reduce the safety endpoint, major bleeding, by \> 35%, and the study is powered for the superiority of the safety endpoint. Major bleeding will be defined as requiring hospitalization and by ≥1 of the following International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) criteria: (1) Bleeding associated with a reduction in hemoglobin level of at least 2.0 g/dL; (2) Bleeding leading to transfusion of at least two units of blood or packed cells; or (3) Symptomatic bleeding in a critical area or organ such as intraocular, intracranial, intraspinal or intramuscular with compartment syndrome, retroperitoneal bleeding, intra-articular bleeding, or pericardial bleeding.

    Time frame: At 60 months

06

Study locations

84 of 93 sites recruiting
  • Banner University
    Phoenix, Arizona 85006, United States
    Recruiting
  • University of Southern California - Keck School of Medicine
    Los Angeles, California 90033, United States
    Recruiting
  • University of California Los Angeles (UCLA Health)
    Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
    Recruiting
  • UC Davis Health
    Sacramento, California 95817, United States
    Recruiting
  • Scripps Health
    San Diego, California 92103, United States
    Recruiting
  • Kaiser Permanente
    San Francisco, California 94115, United States
    Not yet recruiting
  • Stanford University
    Stanford, California 94305, United States
    • Diona Gjermeni, MD · Contact · gjermeni@stanford.edu · 650-333-9228
    • Alexander Perino · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • University of Colorado
    Aurora, Colorado 80045, United States
    Recruiting
  • South Denver Cardiology Associates, P.C.
    Littleton, Colorado 80120, United States
    Recruiting
  • St. Elizabeth's Medical Center
    Washington D.C., District of Columbia 20032, United States
    Recruiting
  • Medical Faculty Associates George Washington University
    Washington D.C., District of Columbia 20037, United States
    Withdrawn
  • BayCare Health Systems
    Clearwater, Florida 33759, United States
    Recruiting
  • University of Florida
    Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States
    Recruiting
  • Mayo Clinic
    Jacksonville, Florida 32224, United States
    Recruiting
  • University of Miami - Leonard S. Miller SOM
    Miami, Florida 33136, United States
    Recruiting
  • Sarasota Memorial Health Care System
    Sarasota, Florida 34236, United States
    Active, not recruiting
  • Cleveland Clinic Florida
    Stuart, Florida 34994, United States
    Withdrawn
  • Baycare Health Systems Clearwater
    Winter Haven, Florida 33881, United States
    Recruiting
  • Emory University
    Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
    • Thomas Preiser · Contact · tpreise@emory.edu
    • Jovita Brevard · Contact · jovita.johnson@emory.edu
    • Michael Lloyd · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Georgia Arrhythmia Consultants and Research Institute
    Warner Robins, Georgia 31093, United States
    Recruiting
  • University of Illinois Chicago
    Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States
    • David Sanders, MD · Contact · djsand13@uic.edu
    • David Sanders · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Northwestern University
    Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
    Recruiting
  • Rush University Medical Center
    Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
    Recruiting
  • University of Chicago
    Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
    Recruiting
  • Loyola University Chicago
    Chicago, Illinois 60660, United States
    • Nancy Schoenecker · Contact · nschoenecker@luc.edu · 708-216-2646
    • Jean Del Priore · Contact · jdelpri@luc.edu · (708) 216-2644
    • Peter Santucci, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Alexian Brothers Health System
    Elk Grove Village, Illinois 60007, United States
    Recruiting
  • NorthShore University HealthSystem
    Evanston, Illinois 60201, United States
    • Marisa Durante · Contact · mdurante@northshore.org · 847-570-2125
    • Jeremiah Wasserlauf, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Midwest Cardiovascular Institute
    Naperville, Illinois 60540, United States
    Recruiting
  • Ascension St. Vincent
    Indianapolis, Indiana 46260, United States
    Recruiting
  • University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
    Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
    Recruiting
  • Maine Medical Partners MaineHealth Cardiology
    Scarborough, Maine 04074, United States
    Recruiting
  • Johns Hopkins Univeristy
    Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
    Recruiting
  • Tufts Medical Center
    Boston, Massachusetts 02111, United States
    Recruiting
  • Mass General Hospital
    Boston, Massachusetts 02114, United States
    Recruiting
  • Brigham and Women's Hospital
    Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
    Recruiting
  • Boston Medical Center
    Boston, Massachusetts 02118, United States
    Recruiting
  • BMC - Brighton
    Boston, Massachusetts 02135, United States
    Recruiting
  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
    Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
    Recruiting
  • Lahey Hospital & Medical Center
    Burlington, Massachusetts 01805, United States
    • Jean Byrne · Contact · jean.byrne@lahey.org · 781-744-1901
    • Matthew Reynolds · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • UMass Chan Medical School
    Worcester, Massachusetts 01655, United States
    Active, not recruiting
  • Henry Ford Health
    Detroit, Michigan 48202, United States
    Recruiting
  • Corewell Health (Former Spectrum Health)
    Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503, United States
    Recruiting
  • Trinity Health Grand Rapids/Mercy Health
    Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503, United States
    Recruiting
  • William Beaumont Hospital
    Royal Oak, Michigan 48073, United States
    Recruiting
  • Trinity Health Michigan Heart - Ann Arbor
    Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197, United States
    Recruiting
  • Essentia Health The Duluth Clinic
    Duluth, Minnesota 55812, United States
    Active, not recruiting
  • Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation
    Minneapolis, Minnesota 55407, United States
    Recruiting
  • Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute
    Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415, United States
    Recruiting
  • University of Minnesota
    Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
    • Julie Dicken · Contact · dicke022@umn.edu · 612-408-4316
    • Maddy Chopp · Contact · Chopp015@umn.edu · (612) 626-7041
    • Lin Yee Chen, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • University Health Truman Medical Center
    Kansas City, Missouri 64108, United States
    Withdrawn
  • Washington University School of Medicine
    St Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
    Recruiting
  • Advanced Heart and Vascular Institute of Hunterdon
    Flemington, New Jersey 08822, United States
    Recruiting
  • Hackensack Meridian Health
    Hackensack, New Jersey 07601, United States
    • Jennifer Baxter · Contact · jennifer.baxter@hmhn.org · 551-996-3775
    • Jennifer Baxter · Contact · (551)996-3775
    • Taya Glotzer, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
    Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
    • Glaucia Dos Santos-Vaccaro · Contact · gd301@rwjms.rutgers.edu · 732-235-6117
    • Partho Sengupta · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • The Valley Hospital, Inc.
    Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450, United States
    Recruiting
  • University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
    Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102, United States
    Recruiting
  • Presbyterian Healthcare Services
    Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106, United States
    Active, not recruiting
  • University at Buffalo
    Buffalo, New York 14214, United States
    Recruiting
  • NYU Langone Health
    New York, New York 10016, United States
    Recruiting
  • Columbia University Medical Center
    New York, New York 10032, United States
    Recruiting
  • Weill Medical College of Cornell University
    New York, New York 10065, United States
    • Dolores Reynolds · Contact · dtr2001@med.cornell.edu · 212-746-4617
    • Penn Collins · Contact · gpc4001@med.cornell.edu
    • Jim Cheung, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • NewYork Presbyterian - Queens
    Queens, New York 11355, United States
    • Jackson Ng · Contact · jan9044@nyp.org · 718-607-2944
    • Joon Hyuk Kim · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Staten Island University Hospital-Northwell Health
    Staten Island, New York 10305, United States
    • Alexandra Pantea · Contact · apantea@northwell.edu · 718-226-6438
    • Rina Shah, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Stony Brook University
    Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States
    Recruiting
  • Westchester Medical Center
    Valhalla, New York 10595, United States
    Recruiting
  • White Plains Hospital
    White Plains, New York 10601, United States
    Recruiting
  • University of North Carolina
    Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
    Recruiting
  • Wake Forest Baptist Health
    Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157, United States
    Recruiting
  • The Lindner Center for Research and Education at The Christ Hospital
    Cincinnati, Ohio 45219, United States
    Recruiting
  • University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
    Cincinnati, Ohio 45267, United States
    Recruiting
  • Ohio State University Medical Center
    Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
    Recruiting
  • OhioHealth Research Institute
    Columbus, Ohio 43214, United States
    Recruiting
  • Wooster Community Hospital
    Wooster, Ohio 44691, United States
    • Erica Stahl · Contact · estahl@wchosp.org · 330-263-8359
    • Cyril Ofori, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
    Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104, United States
    Recruiting
  • Cardiology Consultants of Philadelphia
    Paoli, Pennsylvania 19301, United States
    • Hope Bernhardy · Contact · hopeb@ccpdocs.com · 267-479-5325
    • Colin Movsowitz, MD · Principal investigator
    Not yet recruiting
  • Thomas Jefferson University
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19144, United States
    Recruiting
  • Allegheny Singer Research Institute
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15212, United States
    Recruiting
  • Penn State Health Medical Group Berks Cardiology
    Wyomissing, Pennsylvania 19610, United States
    Recruiting
  • Rhode Island Hospital
    Providence, Rhode Island 02903, United States
    Recruiting
  • Medical University of South Carolina
    Charleston, South Carolina 29425, United States
    • Krista Szymanski · Contact · szymankr@musc.edu · 843-876-6846
    • Rachel Kaplan · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • MUSC Health Heart and Vascular
    Columbia, South Carolina 29204, United States
    • Jacqueline Sheriod-Scott · Contact · sheriods@musc.edu · 803-254-3278
    • Venkateshwar Gottipaty, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Research Foundation
    Austin, Texas 78705, United States
    Recruiting
  • University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
    Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
    Recruiting
  • Baylor College of Medicine
    Houston, Texas 77030, United States
    • Stephen Harold · Contact · harold@bcm.edu · 713-798-7227
    • Mihail Chelu, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Houston Methodist Hospital
    Houston, Texas 77030, United States
    Recruiting
  • University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
    Houston, Texas 77030, United States
    Recruiting
  • University of Utah
    Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
    Recruiting
  • University of Virginia
    Charlottesville, Virginia 22903, United States
    • Cathy Roy · Contact · cjp6t@virginia.edu · 434-825-5677
    • Rohit Malhotra · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • James River Cardiology
    Richmond, Virginia 23229, United States
    Recruiting
  • Virginia Commonwealth University
    Richmond, Virginia 23284, United States
    Recruiting
  • St. Joseph Medical Center Tacoma
    Tacoma, Washington 98405, United States
    Recruiting
  • University of Wisconsin
    Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
    Recruiting
  • Medical College of Wisconsin Froedtert Hospital
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226, United States
    • Debbi Hoff · Contact · dhoff@mcw.edu
    • Jason Rubenstein · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
07

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05836987
Lead sponsor
Johns Hopkins University
Collaborators
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), Northwestern University
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
May 1, 2023
Start date
Jul 13, 2023
Primary completion
Jul 31, 2029 (estimated)
Completion
Jul 31, 2029 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 29, 2026

Study contacts

Shea Smith
Contact
sgluhm@stanford.edu
Rod Passman
principal investigator · Northwestern University
Dan Hanley
principal investigator · Johns Hopkins University

Oversight

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

Interested in this study?

Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.

Contact study team

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