ArrhythmiaPhase 3NCT00000517
Boston Area Anticoagulation Trial for Atrial Fibrillation (BAATAF)
A Phase 3 study testing warfarin in people with Arrhythmia and Atrial Fibrillation, run by Massachusetts General Hospital.
Trial summary
To determine the benefits and risks of oral anticoagulant therapy in reducing embolic stroke and systemic emboli in patients with atrial fibrillation without rheumatic heart disease. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Arrhythmia, Atrial Fibrillation, Cardiovascular Diseases
- What is being tested?
- warfarin
- How many people
- Not given
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- Jul 1985to Jun 1991
- Phase
- Phase 3
- 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 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Men and women, 18 years of age or older, with non-rheumatic atrial fibrillation.
About this study
To determine the benefits and risks of oral anticoagulant therapy in reducing embolic stroke and systemic emboli in patients with atrial fibrillation without rheumatic heart disease.
Read the detailed description
BACKGROUND:
The efficacy of oral anticoagulation therapy in reducing the risk of embolic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation and rheumatic heart disease was well known. The value of anticoagulant therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation without rheumatic heart disease had not been established. Several studies strongly suggested that although the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation was greatest in the presence of valvular disease, the risk of stroke in the absence of valvular disease was also much greater in patients with atrial fibrillation than those without this arrhythmia. What was lacking was a detailed controlled study assessing the degree of reduction in stroke risk by anticoagulation of fibrillating patients without valvular disease.
The second question asked was whether the added potential morbidity or mortality associated with long-term anticoagulation therapy justified its use in the prophylactic treatment of neurologically asymptomatic patients with atrial fibrillation, even if it did reduce stroke risk. Gastrointestinal, urinary tract, cutaneous and joint hemorrhages were all potential serious complications, as was cerebral hemorrhage, including bleeding into areas of recent cerebral infarction. Interest had again focused on hemorrhagic complications of stroke in anticoagulated patients and among risk factors for hemorrhage were large, recent infarcts. No one suggested that anticoagulation, even if very successful in reducing stroke risk, would eliminate it altogether, and thus hemorrhagic infarction was an important potential problem, as was assessment of risk of primary intracerebral hemorrhage.
DESIGN NARRATIVE:
Randomized non-blind. Recruitment began in September 1985 and ended in June 1989. The experimental group of 212 patients received long-term, low-dose warfarin. The control group of 208 patients did not receive warfarin but could choose to take aspirin. Average follow-up was 2.2 years. The primary endpoint was non-hemorrhage stroke. At entry and annually, the history was recorded and patients underwent a physical examination focusing on neurologic factors. Every year, beginning at six months, patients were sent a questionnaire on neurologic symptoms, bleeding episodes, and other medical conditions. Study nurses contacted all patients to review their responses. Each patient's referring physician was contacted at three months and nine months during each year of follow-up.
Participating institutions in the multicenter trial were organized into three groups. At Group I institutions, on-site investigators performed all clinical evaluations. In Group II, personnel from the central site hospital, the Massachusetts General Hospital, traveled to the local hospitals to evaluate, randomize, and follow patients. Group III institutions referred patients directly to the Massachusetts General Hospital for all procedures.
- Conditions
- Arrhythmia, Atrial Fibrillation, Cardiovascular Diseases, Cerebral Embolism and Thrombosis, Cerebrovascular Disorders, Heart Diseases
- Being tested
- warfarin
- Medical subject headings
- Arrhythmias, Cardiac, Atrial Fibrillation, Cardiovascular Diseases, Intracranial Embolism and Thrombosis, Cerebrovascular Disorders, Heart Diseases, Thrombophlebitis, Stroke
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
warfarinDrug
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted28 Oct 1999 (estimated)
- Study startJul 1985
- Primary completionJun 1991
- Study completionJun 1991
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (4)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for ArrhythmiaStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Massachusetts General HospitalThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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 3
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, J. Philip Kistler, Massachusetts General Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00000517
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 36
- Other IDs
- R01HL033233-06
- Status last verified
- Apr 2014
- First submitted
- 27 Oct 1999
- Last updated
- 10 Apr 2014
- Results posted
- No
Publications
Boston Area Anticoagulation Trial for Atrial Fibrillation Investigators; Singer DE, Hughes RA, Gress DR, Sheehan MA, Oertel LB, Maraventano SW, Blewett DR, Rosner B, Kistler JP. The effect of low-dose warfarin on the risk of stroke in patients with nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation. N Engl J Med. 1990 Nov 29;323(22):1505-11. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199011293232201.
PubMed 2233931Lancaster TR, Singer DE, Sheehan MA, Oertel LB, Maraventano SW, Hughes RA, Kistler JP. The impact of long-term warfarin therapy on quality of life. Evidence from a randomized trial. Boston Area Anticoagulation Trial for Atrial Fibrillation Investigators. Arch Intern Med. 1991 Oct;151(10):1944-9.
PubMed 1929681Singer DE, Hughes RA, Gress DR, Sheehan MA, Oertel LB, Maraventano SW, Blewett DR, Rosner B, Kistler JP. The effect of aspirin on the risk of stroke in patients with nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation: The BAATAF Study. Am Heart J. 1992 Dec;124(6):1567-73. doi: 10.1016/0002-8703(92)90074-6.
PubMed 1462916Kistler JP, Singer DE, Millenson MM, Bauer KA, Gress DR, Barzegar S, Hughes RA, Sheehan MA, Maraventano SW, Oertel LB, et al. Effect of low-intensity warfarin anticoagulation on level of activity of the hemostatic system in patients with atrial fibrillation. BAATAF Investigators. Stroke. 1993 Sep;24(9):1360-5. doi: 10.1161/01.str.24.9.1360.
PubMed 8362431
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 10 Apr 2014. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Boston Area Anticoagulation Trial for Atrial Fibrillation (BAATAF)
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00000517
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 36
- Conditions
- Arrhythmia, Atrial Fibrillation, Cardiovascular Diseases, Cerebral Embolism and Thrombosis, Cerebrovascular Disorders, Heart Diseases
- Phase
- Phase 3
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Lead sponsor
- Massachusetts General HospitalUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
- Study start
- Jul 1985
- Primary completion
- Jun 1991 (actual)
- Study completion
- Jun 1991 (actual)
- First posted
- 28 Oct 1999 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
To determine the benefits and risks of oral anticoagulant therapy in reducing embolic stroke and systemic emboli in patients with atrial fibrillation without rheumatic heart disease.
Detailed description
BACKGROUND:
The efficacy of oral anticoagulation therapy in reducing the risk of embolic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation and rheumatic heart disease was well known. The value of anticoagulant therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation without rheumatic heart disease had not been established. Several studies strongly suggested that although the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation was greatest in the presence of valvular disease, the risk of stroke in the absence of valvular disease was also much greater in patients with atrial fibrillation than those without this arrhythmia. What was lacking was a detailed controlled study assessing the degree of reduction in stroke risk by anticoagulation of fibrillating patients without valvular disease.
The second question asked was whether the added potential morbidity or mortality associated with long-term anticoagulation therapy justified its use in the prophylactic treatment of neurologically asymptomatic patients with atrial fibrillation, even if it did reduce stroke risk. Gastrointestinal, urinary tract, cutaneous and joint hemorrhages were all potential serious complications, as was cerebral hemorrhage, including bleeding into areas of recent cerebral infarction. Interest had again focused on hemorrhagic complications of stroke in anticoagulated patients and among risk factors for hemorrhage were large, recent infarcts. No one suggested that anticoagulation, even if very successful in reducing stroke risk, would eliminate it altogether, and thus hemorrhagic infarction was an important potential problem, as was assessment of risk of primary intracerebral hemorrhage.
DESIGN NARRATIVE:
Randomized non-blind. Recruitment began in September 1985 and ended in June 1989. The experimental group of 212 patients received long-term, low-dose warfarin. The control group of 208 patients did not receive warfarin but could choose to take aspirin. Average follow-up was 2.2 years. The primary endpoint was non-hemorrhage stroke. At entry and annually, the history was recorded and patients underwent a physical examination focusing on neurologic factors. Every year, beginning at six months, patients were sent a questionnaire on neurologic symptoms, bleeding episodes, and other medical conditions. Study nurses contacted all patients to review their responses. Each patient's referring physician was contacted at three months and nine months during each year of follow-up.
Participating institutions in the multicenter trial were organized into three groups. At Group I institutions, on-site investigators performed all clinical evaluations. In Group II, personnel from the central site hospital, the Massachusetts General Hospital, traveled to the local hospitals to evaluate, randomize, and follow patients. Group III institutions referred patients directly to the Massachusetts General Hospital for all procedures.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| warfarin | Drug | – |
Primary outcome
Not reported in the source record.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 10 Apr 2014.
- Background: PubMed 2233931Boston Area Anticoagulation Trial for Atrial Fibrillation Investigators; Singer DE, Hughes RA, Gress DR, Sheehan MA, Oertel LB, Maraventano SW, Blewett DR, Rosner B, Kistler JP. The effect of low-dose warfarin on the risk of stroke in patients with nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation. N Engl J Med. 1990 Nov 29;323(22):1505-11. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199011293232201.
- Background: PubMed 1929681Lancaster TR, Singer DE, Sheehan MA, Oertel LB, Maraventano SW, Hughes RA, Kistler JP. The impact of long-term warfarin therapy on quality of life. Evidence from a randomized trial. Boston Area Anticoagulation Trial for Atrial Fibrillation Investigators. Arch Intern Med. 1991 Oct;151(10):1944-9.
- Background: PubMed 1462916Singer DE, Hughes RA, Gress DR, Sheehan MA, Oertel LB, Maraventano SW, Blewett DR, Rosner B, Kistler JP. The effect of aspirin on the risk of stroke in patients with nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation: The BAATAF Study. Am Heart J. 1992 Dec;124(6):1567-73. doi: 10.1016/0002-8703(92)90074-6.
- Background: PubMed 8362431Kistler JP, Singer DE, Millenson MM, Bauer KA, Gress DR, Barzegar S, Hughes RA, Sheehan MA, Maraventano SW, Oertel LB, et al. Effect of low-intensity warfarin anticoagulation on level of activity of the hemostatic system in patients with atrial fibrillation. BAATAF Investigators. Stroke. 1993 Sep;24(9):1360-5. doi: 10.1161/01.str.24.9.1360.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A Phase 3 study testing warfarin in people with Arrhythmia and Atrial Fibrillation, run by Massachusetts General Hospital.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
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 10 Apr 2014. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
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 3 studies compare the treatment with the current standard treatment or a placebo in a large group, to confirm how well it works and watch for side effects.
Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
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.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00000517, which also lists 4 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 10 Apr 2014; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 7 Nov 2026.