Transjugular Approach for Implantation of Active Fixation Leadless Pacemakers
Bradycardia · Heart Block · Sick Sinus Syndrome · Atrioventricular Block
What this study involves
The registry says this study is recruiting. Individual locations may have different availability.
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Not applicable
- Age range
- 18 years - 85 years
- Sex eligible
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Participants
- 15 Estimated
These are starting points, not an eligibility decision. The research team must review the full requirements.
About the research
This study is a prospective, single-arm, single-center feasibility study evaluating the safety and feasibility of transjugular (internal jugular vein) implantation of the Aveir VR leadless ventricular pacemaker in patients requiring ventricular pacing. A total of 15 patients will be enrolled at Xijing Hospital. The primary objective is to assess procedural feasibility and acute safety (from intraoperative to 48 hours post-procedure). Secondary objectives include short-term (1 to 3 months) pacing parameter stability (threshold, R-wave amplitude, impedance), technical success rate, procedure-related metrics, and adverse event rates.
Read the full description
Background: Leadless pacemakers have emerged as an important alternative to conventional transvenous pacing systems, offering advantages such as reduced pocket-related complications and improved patient tolerance. The Aveir VR (Abbott) is an active-fixation leadless ventricular pacemaker with a retractable helix and retrievable design. While the femoral approach is standard, some patients have contraindications to femoral access (e.g., venous occlusion, severe obesity). The internal jugular vein approach offers a potential alternative, but clinical data-particularly from China-remain limited.
Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility and acute (intraoperative to 48h) safety of transjugular implantation of Aveir VR, and to assess short-term (1-3 months) pacing parameter stability and safety in a Chinese population.
Study Design: Prospective, single-arm, single-center feasibility study. Fifteen patients aged 18-85 years with symptomatic bradycardia requiring ventricular pacing will be enrolled. The procedure will be performed via the right internal jugular vein (or external jugular if needed) under local anesthesia. Pacing parameters (threshold, R-wave amplitude, impedance) will be tested intraoperatively and at 1-month and 3-month follow-up. Implant location (right ventricular septal vs. free wall) will be assessed by echocardiography or cardiac CT before discharge. Safety will be evaluated through adverse event monitoring from consent through 3 months post-procedure. Descriptive statistics will be used; no formal hypothesis testing will be performed given the exploratory feasibility nature of the study.
Who may be able to participate?
The list below is the sponsor’s full registry wording. It can include conditions, prior treatment, test results and other requirements. A match in search does not mean you qualify.
Inclusion Criteria:
1. Aged 18 to 85 years, regardless of gender.
2. Symptomatic bradyarrhythmia meeting the ventricular pacing indications recommended by the 2023 ACC/AHA/HRS Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Bradyarrhythmias, the 2020 Chinese Expert Consensus on the Evaluation and Management of Patients with Bradycardia and Conduction Disorders, and the 2022 Chinese Expert Consensus on the Clinical Application of Leadless Pacemakers, including any of the following conditions:
* Third-degree or advanced atrioventricular (AV) block;
* Second-degree type II AV block, alternating bundle branch block, or bifascicular/trifascicular block with intermittent advanced/third-degree AV block;
* Adult congenital complete AV block; persistent irreversible advanced/third-degree AV block following myocardial infarction or cardiac surgery;
* Symptomatic bradycardia (e.g., dizziness, presyncope, syncope, fatigue, decreased exercise tolerance) or sick sinus syndrome (including chronotropic incompetence and tachy-brady syndrome);
* Drug-induced persistent symptomatic bradycardia with no alternative treatment options;
* Atrial fibrillation with slow ventricular response requiring long-term ventricular pacing;
* New-onset persistent complete left bundle branch block after TAVR, or new-onset advanced AV block after hypertrophic cardiomyopathy ablation;
* Neuromuscular disease, infiltrative cardiomyopathy, or adult congenital heart disease with progressive AV/branch conduction abnormalities and bradycardia-related symptoms;
* High infection risk populations (e.g., recurrent pacing system infection, diabetes mellitus, long-term corticosteroid use, end-stage renal disease on dialysis) or patients with abnormal conventional pacing access or at extremely high risk of conventional pacing lead complications.
3. Anatomical feasibility and vascular access assessment:
* Preoperative imaging confirms suitable right internal jugular vein access to accommodate the delivery sheath, without thrombosis, severe stenosis, or anatomical malformations;
* Right ventricular anatomy is suitable with adequate trabeculation to support active fixation of the leadless pacemaker, without severe structural abnormalities;
* Priority for enrollment: patients with limited femoral or inferior vena cava access (e.g., iliac/inferior vena cava stenosis, thrombosis, prior venous surgery, obesity precluding femoral access).
4. New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class ≤ III, and expected survival \> 1 year.
5. Able to cooperate with preoperative evaluation, intraoperative procedure, and 3-month follow-up.
6. Voluntarily signs written informed consent and agrees to complete all scheduled observations per the study protocol.
Exclusion Criteria:
1. Anatomical malformations, severe stenosis, occlusion, or thrombosis of the internal jugular vein or superior vena cava that preclude transjugular access for the procedure.
2. Abnormal right ventricular anatomy, including but not limited to right ventricular hypoplasia, severe right ventricular dilation, or severe right ventricular myocardial fibrosis, preventing safe implantation of an active-fixation leadless ventricular pacemaker.
3. Severe tricuspid regurgitation, or status post-mechanical tricuspid valve replacement, significantly affecting pacemaker implantation, device fixation, or function.
4. NYHA functional class IV, or refractory heart failure, cardiogenic shock, rendering the patient unable to tolerate the procedure and perioperative management.
5. Severe hepatic or renal impairment (eGFR \< 30 mL/min/1.73m², severe liver dysfunction), coagulopathy, or active bleeding disorders constituting clear surgical contraindications.
6. Confirmed allergy or severe intolerance to leadless pacemaker materials, intraoperative contrast media, or anesthetic agents.
7. Prior implantation of other cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (e.g., pacemaker, ICD, CRT) or retained intracardiac leads/devices that would interfere with the current implantation or device function.
8. Advanced malignancy, severe active infection, active autoimmune disease, or other serious systemic conditions with an expected survival \< 12 months, precluding completion of the 3-month follow-up.
9. Pregnant or lactating women, or women planning pregnancy during the follow-up period.
10. Psychiatric disorders, cognitive impairment, or inability to cooperate with preoperative evaluation, intraoperative procedure, or regular postoperative follow-up due to personal or geographic reasons.
11. Concurrent participation in another cardiovascular device clinical trial that may interfere with the outcome assessment of this study.
12. Any other condition deemed by the investigator to make the participant unsuitable for enrollment.
Treatment, groups and participation
The registry may describe treatments and study duration without a complete visit calendar. Ask the study team for the exact schedule, procedures, risks, costs and alternatives. Keep your usual care plan unless your treating clinician tells you otherwise.
- Assignment
- Not applicable
- Masking
- No masking
Experimental: Aveir VR Leadless Pacemaker
Participants will undergo transjugular implantation of the Aveir VR active-fixation leadless ventricular pacemaker. This experimental arm evaluates the procedure and device performance for ventricular pacing indications.
Device: Aveir VR Leadless Pacemaker
Aveir VR Leadless Pacemaker DEVICE
The Aveir VR leadless pacemaker is implanted via a transjugular (jugular vein) approach. This active-fixation device is placed in the right ventricle for ventricular pacing indications.
What researchers are measuring
Outcome measures describe what is being studied. They are not proof that a treatment works.
Primary measures
Rate of Participants with Sustained Successful Aveir VR Lead Implantation (evaluated by fluoroscopy and clinical-electrophysiological follow-up)
Time frame: Through 3 months post-procedure
The percentage of participants with sustained successful Aveir VR lead implantation via trans-jugular venous access at 3-month follow-up. Sustained implantation success is defined as intact lead position, stable pacing parameters, and absence of lead-related complications at the end of 3-month follow-up.
Acute adverse event rate
Time frame: Periprocedural and up to 48 hours
Incidence of adverse events within 48 hours post-procedure, measured as a percentage
Secondary measures
Pacing Threshold (measured in volts)
Time frame: Baseline, Post-procedure Day 1-3, 1 month, and 3 months post-procedure
Pacing threshold of the Aveir VR lead, measured in volts, to evaluate threshold stability across follow-up time points.
R-wave amplitude
Time frame: Baseline, Post-procedure Day 1-3, 1 month, and 3 months post-procedure
R-wave amplitude measured in millivolts.
Lead impedance
Time frame: Baseline, Post-procedure Day 1-3, 1 month, and 3 months post-procedure
Lead impedance measured in ohms.
Technical success rate
Time frame: Periprocedural
Rate of technical success measured as a percentage.
Duration of the Implantation Procedure (measured in minutes)
Time frame: Periprocedural
Total time duration of the leadless pacemaker implantation procedure, measured in minutes.
Fluoroscopy time
Time frame: Periprocedural
Duration of fluoroscopy measured in minutes.
Number of puncture attempts
Time frame: Periprocedural
Count of puncture attempts measured in number of times.
Number of lead fixation attempts
Time frame: Periprocedural
Count of fixation attempts measured in number of times.
Implantation site
Time frame: Periprocedural
Anatomical location of implantation recorded as a categorical variable.
Correlation between site and parameters
Time frame: Up to 3 months
Pacing parameters by site
Adverse event incidence
Time frame: Through 3 months post-procedure
Overall incidence of adverse events measured as a percentage.
Serious adverse event incidence
Time frame: Through 3 months post-procedure
Incidence of serious adverse events measured as a percentage.
Device-related complication rate
Time frame: Through 3 months post-procedure
Rate of device-related complications measured as a percentage.
Review the complete result tables and limitations in the official record.
Open official results ↗Research locations (1)
The overall study status and a local site’s status can differ. Confirm that location’s availability before traveling.
1 locations
Xijing Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical UniversityXi'an, Shaanxi, ChinaRecruiting
Study team and timeline
- Lead sponsor
- Min Shen
- Study start
- Oct 10, 2026 Actual
- Primary completion
- Sep 30, 2027 Estimated
- Study completion
- Dec 31, 2027 Estimated
- First posted
- Sep 3, 2026 Actual
- Last updated
- Nov 10, 2026 Actual
Official study contacts
Official study title
Transjugular Approach for Implantation of Active Fixation Leadless Pacemakers: A Feasibility Study
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Source: ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Information is submitted by sponsors and investigators. NLM does not approve the safety or science of all listed studies. Registry disclaimer.
Retrieved: Nov 12, 2026 · Last registry update: Nov 10, 2026
