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Aortic Valve ReplacementPhase 4NCT06184113

Apixaban for the Prevention of Latent Biological Valve Thrombosis

A Phase 4 study testing Aortic valve replacement surgery, Computed tomography and Echocardiography in people with Aortic Valve Replacement and Antithrombotic Therapy, run by Clinical Hospital Centre Zagreb at 1 site in Croatia.

Unknown status

Status not confirmed. The sponsor has not verified this record for over two years, so it may be out of date.

Official record
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Trial summary

Background: The optimal antithrombotic strategy early after aortic valve replacement surgery with a biological valve remains controversial due to lack of high-quality evidence. Either oral anticoagulants or acetylsalicylic acid should be considered for the first three months. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 65 years and older
What is being tested?
Aortic valve replacement surgery, Computed tomography and Echocardiography
Type of treatment
Surgery or procedure
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
166 participants
Where
1 siteCroatia
Study dates
Dec 2023to Dec 2025
Phase
Phase 4
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

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 65 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Men and women aged 65 or older with aortic valve stenosis undergoing successful isolated first-time aortic valve replacement with a rapid deployment bioprosthetic valve
  • Signed informed consent to participate in the research

Who cannot join

  • Indication for long-term use of anticoagulant therapy
  • Indication for dual antiplatelet therapy
  • Contraindication to anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy
  • Inability to start the study drug within the planned randomization period
  • History of atrial fibrillation
  • Known hemorrhagic diathesis
Show all 12Show fewer
  • Presence of other significant heart pathology
  • Prior open-heart surgery
  • Presence of liver failure or other coagulopathy
  • Aortic valve infective endocarditis
  • Severe renal failure
  • Allergy to iodine contrast

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Tomislav Kopjar, MD, PhD contact

+385 (1) 2367 520

tomislav.kopjar@kbc-zagreb.hr

Croatia1 site, 1 recruiting
  • University Hospital Center Zagreb

    Zagreb, 10000

    Tomislav Kopjar, MD PhD

    Recruiting

Other trials in Croatia

About this study

Official title: Comparison of Apixaban and Aspirin for the Prevention of Latent Bioprosthetic Valve Thrombosis After Aortic Valve Replacement Surgery: Study Protocol for a Prospective Randomized Trial

Background: The optimal antithrombotic strategy early after aortic valve replacement surgery with a biological valve remains controversial due to lack of high-quality evidence. Either oral anticoagulants or acetylsalicylic acid should be considered for the first three months. Hypo-attenuated leaflet thickening on cardiac compute tomography has been associated with latent bioprosthetic valve thrombosis and may be prevented with anticoagulation. The investigators hypothesize that anticoagulation with apixaban is superior to single antiplatelet therapy with acetylsalicylic acid in reduction of hypo-attenuated leaflet thickening of bioprosthetic valves after aortic valve replacement.

Methods: In this prospective, open-label, randomized trial patients without an indication for oral anticoagulation undergoing isolated aortic valve replacement surgery with novel rapid-deployment bioprosthetic valves will be randomized. The treatment group will receive 5 mg of apixaban twice a day for the first three months and 100 mg of acetylsalicylic acid thereafter. The control group will have 100 mg of acetylsalicylic acid once a day indefinitely. After the three-month treatment period a contrast enhanced electrocardiogram-gated cardiac computed tomography will be performed to identify hypo-attenuated leaflet thickening of the bioprosthetic valve. The primary objective of the study is to assess possible superiority of the treatment group in the prevention of hypo-attenuated leaflet thickening three months after randomization. Secondary objective is to assess possible noninferiority for safety of apixaban-based strategy when compared to acetylsalicylic acid at three months.

Discussion: Antithrombotic therapy after aortic valve replacement surgery is used to prevent valve thrombosis and systemic thromboembolism. Latent bioprosthetic valve thrombosis is a precursor of clinically significant prosthetic valve dysfunction or thromboembolic event. The hallmark feature of latent bioprosthetic valve thrombosis is hypo-attenuated leaflet thickening on cardiac computed tomography. Subclinical leaflet thrombosis occurs frequently in bioprosthetic aortic valves, more commonly in transcatheter than in surgical valves. There is no evidence on the effect of direct oral anticoagulants on the incidence of hypo-attenuated leaflet thickening after surgical aortic valve replacement with rapid deployment bioprostheses.

Being tested
Aortic valve replacement surgery, Computed tomography, Echocardiography

What participants receive

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

  • Aortic valve replacement surgeryProcedure or surgery

    Patients undergoing first-time isolated aortic valve replacement with a rapid deployment biological prosthesis.

  • Computed tomographyDiagnostic test

    All the study patients will undergo a computed tomography imaging to assess for hypo-attenuated leaflet thickening and reduced leaflet mobility of the biological prosthesis following the three-month treatment period.

  • EchocardiographyDiagnostic test

    All the study patients will undergo a transthoracic echocardiography before hospital discharge and following the three-month treatment period.

Study groups in NCT06184113
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Intervention ArmExperimentalPatients randomised to the intervention arm will receive an open-label dose adjusted apixaban twice a day. The treatment will be continued for three months. After the tree-month treatment period apixaban will be stopped and acetylsalicylic acid will be started.
Receives: Procedure: Aortic valve replacement surgery; Diagnostic Test: Computed tomography; Diagnostic Test: Echocardiography
Control ArmActive comparatorPatients assigned to the control arm will receive an open-label low dose acetylsalicylic acid indefinitely.
Receives: Procedure: Aortic valve replacement surgery; Diagnostic Test: Computed tomography; Diagnostic Test: Echocardiography

What is being measured

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

  1. Proportion of patients with hypo-attenuated leaflet thickening

    Hypo-attenuated leaflet thickening is identified as increased thickness of one or more leaflets of the bioprosthetic valve on contrast-enhanced electrocardiogram gated cardiac computed tomography. Grade 3 on a 4-tier semiquantitative grading scale describes more than 50% and less than 75% of leaflet involvement. Grade 3 or higher of hypo-attenuated leaflet thickening of at least one bioprosthetic valve leaflet will be considered.

    Measured: At the end of treatment at 3 months

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Proportion of patients with bleeding, thromboembolic event, or death

    The safety composite outcome will be comprised of all types of VARC-3 bleeding events, thromboembolic events (myocardial infarction and stroke), and death from any cause.

    Measured: From enrolment to the end of treatment at 3 months

Timeline

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

  1. First posted28 Dec 2023
  2. Study startDec 2023 (estimated)
  3. Primary completionDec 2025 (estimated)
  4. Study completionDec 2025 (estimated)

Resources

More details

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

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
166 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06184113
Sponsor's protocol ID
8.1-23/77-3; 02/013 AG
Status last verified
Dec 2023
First submitted
3 Dec 2023
Last updated
3 Jan 2024
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Publications

  • Kopjar T, Gasparovic H, Paar MH, Lovric D, Cerina P, Tokic T, Milicic D. Comparison of apixaban versus aspirin for the prevention of latent bioprosthetic aortic valve thrombosis: study protocol for a prospective randomized trial. Trials. 2024 May 16;25(1):324. doi: 10.1186/s13063-024-08175-w.

    PubMed 38755709

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing Aortic valve replacement surgery, Computed tomography and Echocardiography in people with Aortic Valve Replacement and Antithrombotic Therapy, run by Clinical Hospital Centre Zagreb at 1 site in Croatia.

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 2 inclusion and 12 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: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 3 Jan 2024. 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 Croatia. 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.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Results are not available in the source record.

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

Contact Tomislav Kopjar, MD, PhD (+385 (1) 2367 520, tomislav.kopjar@kbc-zagreb.hr), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Proportion of patients with hypo-attenuated leaflet thickening (time frame: At the end of treatment at 3 months). 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 NCT06184113, which also lists 1 linked publication.

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 3 Jan 2024.

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