World's first patient recruited to heart device study by Oxford team
09/10/2018
This article is more than five years old.
Oxford researchers have recruited the world's first patient to an NHS study into whether a new device to detect the cause of irregular heartbeats is safe and effective.
The study, supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), is looking into the use of a device to produce a three-dimensional image of the heart to locate electricity in its chambers which cause atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeats).
The device is a catheter which is inserted into a vein at the top of the leg through a tube and pushed into the upper chambers of the heart and produces images using ultrasound, electrical recordings and mathematical calculations.
This will allow researchers to find out the exact area they need to treat through heating the heart - to burn away the heart tissue responsible for irregular beats - with a catheter.
Patients who have previously had a failed catheter treatment to the heart are invited to participate.
Participants will then be asked to visit study teams three, six and twelve months after initial treatment, to check their heart rates.
The RECOVER-AF study will recruit 100 patients to 15 sites in Europe and the first patient was recruited through Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust.
It is sponsored by Acutus Medical, a US-based company, with UK support from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
Dr Tim Betts, Consultant Cardiologist at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the study's Chief Investigator at the Trust, said: "There is still so much to understand about treating atrial fibrillation and the technology being assessed in the RECOVER-AF trial is potentially a major step forward.
"This novel, three-dimensional mapping system can guide our treatment strategies and hopefully improve success rates whilst maintaining safety.
"Recruiting the world's first patient into the trial is a great honour for the Oxford team and a testament to their efficiency and dedication. Hopefully we can go on to offer this cutting edge technology to many more patients over the coming months."