Ondansetron for the Management of Atrial Fibrillation
Status:
Not yet recruiting
Trial end date:
2026-12-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
"Afib" is a common irregular heartbeat. Afib can cause stroke, blood clots, dementia and
death. Medicines used to treat Afib often do not work well and can cause serious side
effects. Clinicians need medicines that work better for Afib. Medicines for Afib work by
blocking a current in the heart called a potassium current. There is a newer potassium
current called IKas that can contribute to Afib. A medicine called ondansetron is used to
keep people with cancer from getting sick to their stomach and throwing up. The investigators
have found that ondansetron blocks IKas, and the investigators think that this means that
ondansetron may work well to treat Afib. So, in this study the investigators want to find out
if ondansetron can: 1) Stop Afib, 2) Reduce the amount of time that people have Afib, and 3)
Slow down the heart rate when people have Afib. The investigators will study 80 people who
come to the hospital to have a small electric shock to stop their Afib. These patients will
be assigned by chance (like flipping a coin) to one of two groups: ondansetron 8 mg by mouth
twice daily or a sugar pill (placebo). The people in the study will not know whether they are
receiving ondansetron or placebo. The ondansetron or placebo will be started 2 days before
the electric shock. The investigators will find out if ondansetron stops the Afib in the 2
days before their electric shock is scheduled. If ondansetron stops the Afib, those people
will not need the electric shock. The other people in the study will get the electric shock
to stop their Afib, but this does not work in everyone, and the Afib can quickly come back.
So, after the first 2 days, all people in the study will stay on ondansetron or placebo for
28 more days. The investigators will find out if ondansetron reduces the percentage of time
that people are in Afib. Also, in the 2 days before the electric shock and in the 28 days
after, the investigators will find out if ondansetron slows the heart rate while people are
having Afib. The investigators will compare the people in the study who take ondansetron with
the people in the study who take placebo. This research will help the investigators to find
out if ondansetron can be used as a medicine for people who have Afib.