An interventional study of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Aortic Stenosis, sponsored by University Hospital of Ferrara. Recruiting at 11 sites in Italy. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-21.
Sponsored by University Hospital of Ferrara · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
TRACS-PRIME is a prospective, randomized, multicenter clinical trial evaluating whether transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) can be performed safely and effectively in selected hospitals without on-site cardiac surgery, when appropriate patient selection, experienced operators, advanced imaging, and established transfer pathways are available. The study will include patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis who have an indication for TAVI confirmed by a multidisciplinary Heart Team. Eligible patients will be randomized to undergo TAVI either in a center without on-site cardiac surgery or in a center with on-site cardiac surgery. All procedures will be performed according to current standards of care by experienced TAVI operators. The main purpose of the study is to determine whether TAVI performed in centers without on-site cardiac surgery is not inferior to TAVI performed in centers with on-site cardiac surgery with respect to clinical outcomes at 1 year. The primary clinical outcome includes death from any cause, stroke, or hospitalization related to the procedure or the implanted valve. The study will also assess safety outcomes, including valve-related death and major procedural or technical complications. Participants will be followed after hospital discharge to assess clinical events, safety, and longer-term outcomes. An independent committee blinded to treatment allocation will review clinical events, and an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board will monitor patient safety during the trial.
Severe symptomatic aortic stenosis is a common and clinically relevant condition in elderly and high-risk patients. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an established treatment option for patients with an appropriate indication after multidisciplinary Heart Team evaluation. As the number of patients eligible for TAVI continues to increase, access to timely treatment may be limited by the availability and capacity of hospitals with on-site cardiac surgery. Historically, TAVI has generally been performed in centers with on-site cardiac surgery because of the potential need for emergency surgical management of rare but severe procedural complications. However, advances in patient selection, pre-procedural imaging, device technology, procedural planning, and operator experience have reduced the frequency of complications requiring emergent cardiac surgery. These developments have raised the question of whether selected patients can safely undergo TAVI in appropriately organized centers without on-site cardiac surgery, provided that strict procedural safeguards are in place. The TRACS study was previously conducted as a pilot randomized clinical project to evaluate this strategy. That study supported the feasibility and safety of performing TAVI in selected centers without on-site cardiac surgery under a structured protocol, experienced operators, multidisciplinary patient selection, and predefined safety procedures. TRACS-PRIME is designed to extend this experience in a larger and more generalizable randomized trial. TRACS-PRIME is a prospective, randomized, multicenter, open-label trial with blinded adjudication of clinical outcomes. Patients with severe aortic stenosis and an indication for TAVI confirmed by a multidisciplinary Heart Team will be considered for enrollment. Before randomization, patients will undergo standard clinical, echocardiographic, laboratory, coronary, and computed tomography evaluation to confirm eligibility, assess procedural feasibility, and identify factors that may increase procedural risk. Eligible patients who provide written informed consent will be randomized to one of two treatment strategies. In the experimental strategy, TAVI will be performed in a participating center without on-site cardiac surgery. These centers must have experienced TAVI operators, advanced cardiac imaging, established collaboration with a referral cardiac surgery department, and predefined procedures for rapid transfer in case of complications. In the control strategy, TAVI will be performed in a center with on-site cardiac surgery. In both groups, the procedure will be performed according to current guidelines, local standards of care, and the judgment of experienced TAVI operators. The study is intended to evaluate whether TAVI performed in centers without on-site cardiac surgery is not inferior to TAVI performed in centers with on-site cardiac surgery in terms of clinical efficacy and safety at 1 year. Clinical events will be collected prospectively and adjudicated by an independent Clinical Events Committee blinded to treatment allocation. Patient safety and trial conduct will be monitored by an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board. After hospital discharge, participants will undergo structured clinical follow-up to assess clinical status, adverse events, hospitalizations, and other relevant outcomes. The overall aim of TRACS-PRIME is to determine whether a carefully controlled strategy of TAVI in selected centers without on-site cardiac surgery can preserve patient safety while potentially improving access to timely treatment for patients with severe aortic stenosis.
1,025 studies on the registry are indexed under Aortic Valve Stenosis; 293 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 1,612 is above the median of 126 across 554 interventional studies indexed under Aortic Valve Stenosis.
Browse Aortic Valve Stenosis studies →University Hospital of Ferrara is the lead sponsor of 114 studies on the registry; 28 are open to participants now.
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AND one of the following enrichment criteria:
Exclusion criteria
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.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
The study doctor’s estimate of how long someone is likely to live. Criteria use it so that people can stay in the study long enough for it to answer its question.
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.
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Life expectancy
The study doctor’s estimate of how long someone is likely to live. Criteria use it so that people can stay in the study long enough for it to answer its question.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants assigned to this arm will undergo transcatheter aortic valve implantation in a participating center without on-site cardiac surgery. The procedure will be performed by experienced TAVI operators according to current guidelines, institutional standards, and pre-procedural Heart Team assessment. Participating centers must have appropriate imaging, procedural expertise, and predefined pathways for rapid transfer to a referral cardiac surgery center if needed.
Procedure: Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation
Participants assigned to this arm will undergo transcatheter aortic valve implantation in a center with on-site cardiac surgery. After randomization, patients will be referred to the collaborating cardiac surgery center and treated according to the local waiting list and standard clinical practice. The procedure will be performed by experienced TAVI operators in accordance with current guidelines, institutional standards, and pre-procedural Heart Team assessment.
Procedure: Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation is performed as the study procedure in patients with severe aortic stenosis and an indication for TAVI confirmed by the multidisciplinary Heart Team. The procedure is performed according to current guidelines and institutional standards by experienced TAVI operators. In this trial, the intervention is evaluated according to the setting in which it is performed: either in a center without on-site cardiac surgery or in a center with on-site cardiac surgery.
all-cause mortality, all stroke, or hospitalization for procedure- or valve-related causes
The primary clinical efficacy outcome is a composite endpoint defined as the occurrence of any of the following events within 1 year after randomization: death from any cause, any stroke, or hospitalization related to the TAVI procedure or to the implanted valve. This endpoint will be assessed prospectively and adjudicated by an independent Clinical Events Committee blinded to treatment allocation.
Time frame: 1-year
All-cause death
Time frame: 1-year
Cardiovascular death
Time frame: 1-year
All stroke
Time frame: 1-year
Ischemic stroke
Time frame: 1-year
Haemorrhagic stroke
Time frame: 1-year
Stroke not otherwise specified
Time frame: 1-year
Procedure-related or valve-related hospitalization
Hospitalization for procedure-related or valve-related causes is defined according to VARC-3 criteria. It includes any hospital admission, or prolongation of an index hospitalization, primarily due to complications or clinical events related to the TAVI procedure, vascular access, implanted valve, or valve function, including valve dysfunction, valve-related complications, or other clinically relevant procedure-associated adverse events.
Time frame: 1-year
Other cardiovascular hospitalization
Time frame: 1-year
Myocardial infarction
Time frame: 1-year
Aortic bioprosthetic valve dysfunction
Time frame: 1-year
Valve-related mortality, cardiac structural complications or other acute procedural and technical valve-related complications
The primary safety outcome is a composite endpoint defined as the occurrence within 1 year of any of the following events: valve-related mortality, cardiac structural complications, or other acute procedural and technical valve-related complications. Events will be defined according to VARC-3 criteria and adjudicated by an independent Clinical Events Committee blinded to treatment allocation.
Time frame: 1-year
Plan to share: Undecided — Individual participant data may be made available upon reasonable request after publication of the main study results. Requests will be reviewed by the Steering Committee and will be considered based on scientific merit, feasibility, participant privacy, and compliance with applicable ethical and regulatory requirements. Any data sharing will require appropriate approvals and a data use agreement.
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