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Aortic Valve DiseaseTissue-ValveNCT00465218

Transcranial Doppler (TCD) Assessment During Early Anti-thrombotic Therapy After Bioprosthetic Aortic Valve Replacement

An observational study of Aortic Valve Disease, run by Ottawa Heart Institute Research Corporation at 1 site in Canada.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to determine if there is any difference in the counts of cerebral emboli and platelet function between two prophylactic treatments of thrombosis currently used at University of Ottawa Heart Institute for the first three months after surgery in low-risk patients undergoing aortic valve… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Aortic Valve Disease
What is being tested?
Prophylaxis of Thrombosis after aortic valve replacement
Type of treatment
Surgery or procedure
How many people
70 participants
Where
1 siteCanada
Study dates
Mar 2007to Mar 2011
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Study population: Patients with aortic valve stenosis and/or insuficiency undergoing aortic valve replacement with a bioprosthetic valve (tissue valve).

Who may be able to join

  • Patients undergoing primary aortic valve replacement with bioprosthetic (tissue) valve.

Who cannot join

  • Emergency surgery or redo operations.
  • Patients with history of transient ischemic attacks, stroke, or history of carotid stenosis greater than 50% as detected by carotid duplex doppler or angiography.
  • Patients with COPD who are CO2 retainers.
  • Patients with LV function less than 50%, or enlarged left ventricle greater than 50 mm as detected by echocardiography or previous history of thromboembolism.
  • Patients with history of atrial fibrillation or heart rhythm disturbances.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Canada1 site
  • University of Ottawa Heart Institute

    Ottawa, Ontario, K1Y 4W7

Other trials in Canada

About this study

Official title: "Transcranial Doppler Assessment of Cerebral Embolization During Early Anti-thrombotic Therapy After Bioprosthetic Aortic Valve Replacement: Comparison of High-dose Aspirin Versus Warfarin Plus Low-dose Aspirin"

The purpose of this study is to determine if there is any difference in the counts of cerebral emboli and platelet function between two prophylactic treatments of thrombosis currently used at University of Ottawa Heart Institute for the first three months after surgery in low-risk patients undergoing aortic valve replacement with a bioprosthetic valve: 1) daily use of high-dose aspirin [325 mgs], and 2) the combination of oral Warfarin [target INR 2.0 to 3.0] and low-dose aspirin [81 mg].

Read the detailed description

Background:

There are several medications used to prevent blood clotting in patients undergoing surgical replacement of their aortic valves with tissue valves. One of these medications is called warfarin (Coumadin ®) which prevents blood clotting by making the blood "thinner." Another medication is aspirin which prevents the aggregation (clustering) of cells in the blood called platelets. Some clinicians consider that using only aspirin should be enough to protect the patients against the presence of clots in the blood, but others consider that aspirin should be combined with warfarin for better protection. Moreover, physicians express concern over the use of oral anticoagulation due to the possibility of an increased risk of bleeding. The effects of these medications for preventing blood clots traveling to the brain after the surgery are currently unknown. Transcranial doppler ultrasound will be used in these patients to evaluate non-invasively the quantity of fragments of clots circulating in the arteries of the brain. In addition, platelet function will be measured to determine how effective these treatments are for preventing the aggregation of the blood cells called platelets, which may be involved in clot formation.

Objective:

Our purpose is to determine if there is any difference in the counts of cerebral emboli and platelet function between two prophylactic treatments of thrombosis currently used in our institution for the first three months after surgery in these patients: 1) daily use of high-dose aspirin [325 mgs], and 2) the combination of oral Warfarin [target INR 2.0 to 3.0] and low-dose aspirin [81 mg].

Methods:

Patients with low risk profile undergoing primary aortic valve replacement with a bioprosthetic (tissue) valve will be eligible for the study. Patients will receive one of the two prophylactic treatments of thrombosis (1 or 2) depending on the surgeon's preference. Platelet function will be measured before surgery and transcranial doppler within the first 24 hours immediately after the surgery. At the end of one month following surgery, all patients will undergo transcranial doppler and platelet function assessment. The study will be powered on demonstrating the hypothesis of substantial equivalence between the two treatments as regarding the primary outcome (cerebral emboli).

Outcome measures:

  1. Primary outcome: Bilateral counts of cerebral emboli in the middle cerebral arteries with transcranial doppler ultrasound at one month after surgery
  2. Secondary outcomes:

Platelet function, incidence of major adverse neurologic and bleeding events at one month following surgery

Being tested
Prophylaxis of Thrombosis after aortic valve replacement
Keywords
Bioprosthesis, Thrombosis, Cerebral emboli, Transcranial Doppler, Platelet function tests
Medical subject headings
Aortic Valve Disease, Thrombosis, Intracranial Embolism

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Prophylaxis of Thrombosis after aortic valve replacementProcedure or surgery

    Two standard prophylactic treatments of thrombosis within the first 3 months postsurgery currently used in our institution: a) daily dose of aspirin (325 mgs; b) daily dose of aspirin (81 mg) plus Warfarin for target INR 2.0-2.5

Study groups in NCT00465218
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
1High dose aspirin (325 mg)
Receives: Procedure: Prophylaxis of Thrombosis after aortic valve replacement
2Low dose aspirin (81 mgs) plus warfarin
Receives: Procedure: Prophylaxis of Thrombosis after aortic valve replacement

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Differences in the Rate of Doppler-detected Cerebral Micro Emboli Between the Two Prophylactic Treatments of Thrombosis

    Trans-cranial doppler (TCD) measurements were used to test for the presence of cerebral micro-emboli. Doppler measurements were completed on the neck and throughout the temporal window. In addition, probes were secure to the temporal areas with a headband. Measurements determined presence of air or solid emboli.

    Each participant at the 1 month visit underwent TCD measurements after 30min of exposure to room air, and again 30min after receiving 100% oxygen through a breathing mask. Results show the comparison of participants on aspirin only vs warfarin + aspirin when TCD was completed both in room air and with 100% oxygen.

    Measured: 1 month after surgery

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Differences in the Degree of Inhibition of Platelet Aggregation Between the Two Prophylactic Treatments of Thrombosis

    Measured: 1 month after surgery

  2. Difference in the Degree of Inhibitor of Platelet Aggregation Between the Two Prophylactic Treatments of Thrombosis

    Measured: 1 month after surgery

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted24 Apr 2007 (estimated)
  2. Study startMar 2007
  3. Primary completionDec 2007
  4. Study completionMar 2011

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
70 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00465218
Sponsor's protocol ID
2006785-01H
Acronym
Tissue-Valve
Status last verified
Mar 2021
First submitted
20 Apr 2007
Last updated
22 May 2026
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Gohlke-Barwolf C, Acar J, Oakley C, Butchart E, Burckhart D, Bodnar E, Hall R, Delahaye JP, Horstkotte D, Kremer R, et al. Guidelines for prevention of thromboembolic events in valvular heart disease. Study Group of the Working Group on Valvular Heart Disease of the European Society of Cardiology. Eur Heart J. 1995 Oct;16(10):1320-30. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.eurheartj.a060739. No abstract available.

    PubMed 8746900
  • ACC/AHA guidelines for the management of patients with valvular heart disease. A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association. Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Committee on Management of Patients with Valvular Heart Disease). J Am Coll Cardiol. 1998 Nov;32(5):1486-588. doi: 10.1016/s0735-1097(98)00454-9. No abstract available.

    PubMed 9809971
  • Stein PD, Alpert JS, Bussey HI, Dalen JE, Turpie AG. Antithrombotic therapy in patients with mechanical and biological prosthetic heart valves. Chest. 2001 Jan;119(1 Suppl):220S-227S. doi: 10.1378/chest.119.1_suppl.220s.

    PubMed 11157651
  • Kirtane AJ, Rahman AM, Martinezclark P, Jeremias A, Seto TB, Manning WJ. Adherence to American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines for the management of anticoagulation in patients with mechanical valves undergoing elective outpatient procedures. Am J Cardiol. 2006 Mar 15;97(6):891-3. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2005.09.139. Epub 2006 Feb 2.

    PubMed 16516596
  • Heras M, Chesebro JH, Fuster V, Penny WJ, Grill DE, Bailey KR, Danielson GK, Orszulak TA, Pluth JR, Puga FJ, et al. High risk of thromboemboli early after bioprosthetic cardiac valve replacement. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1995 Apr;25(5):1111-9. doi: 10.1016/0735-1097(94)00563-6.

    PubMed 7897124
  • Moinuddeen K, Quin J, Shaw R, Dewar M, Tellides G, Kopf G, Elefteriades J. Anticoagulation is unnecessary after biological aortic valve replacement. Circulation. 1998 Nov 10;98(19 Suppl):II95-8; discussion II98-9.

    PubMed 9852888
  • Gherli T, Colli A, Fragnito C, Nicolini F, Borrello B, Saccani S, D'Amico R, Beghi C. Comparing warfarin with aspirin after biological aortic valve replacement: a prospective study. Circulation. 2004 Aug 3;110(5):496-500. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.0000137122.95108.52.

    PubMed 15289387
  • Rodriguez RA, Rubens F, Rodriguez CD, Nathan HJ. Sources of variability in the detection of cerebral emboli with transcranial Doppler during cardiac surgery. J Neuroimaging. 2006 Apr;16(2):126-32. doi: 10.1111/j.1552-6569.2006.00035.x.

    PubMed 16629734
  • Zimmermann N, Roussiekan T, Winter J, Kurt M, Gams E, Wenzel F, Hohlfeld T. Platelet inhibition by aspirin after aortic valve replacement. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2006 Jun;131(6):1392-3. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2006.01.029. No abstract available.

    PubMed 16733175
  • Geiser T, Sturzenegger M, Genewein U, Haeberli A, Beer JH. Mechanisms of cerebrovascular events as assessed by procoagulant activity, cerebral microemboli, and platelet microparticles in patients with prosthetic heart valves. Stroke. 1998 Sep;29(9):1770-7. doi: 10.1161/01.str.29.9.1770.

    PubMed 9731593
  • Sturzenegger M, Beer JH, Rihs F. Monitoring combined antithrombotic treatments in patients with prosthetic heart valves using transcranial Doppler and coagulation markers. Stroke. 1995 Jan;26(1):63-9. doi: 10.1161/01.str.26.1.63.

    PubMed 7839399
  • Markus HS, Thomson ND, Brown MM. Asymptomatic cerebral embolic signals in symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid artery disease. Brain. 1995 Aug;118 ( Pt 4):1005-11. doi: 10.1093/brain/118.4.1005.

    PubMed 7655877

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Aortic Valve Disease, run by Ottawa Heart Institute Research Corporation at 1 site in Canada.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 22 May 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 22 May 2026). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Differences in the Rate of Doppler-detected Cerebral Micro Emboli Between the Two Prophylactic Treatments of Thrombosis (time frame: 1 month after surgery). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00465218, which also lists 12 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 22 May 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 7 Nov 2026.

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