Abstract
BackgroundThe main purpose of performing radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients is to improve the quality of life (QoL) and alleviate AF-related symptoms. We aimed to determine the qualitative and quantitative effects of RFCA on the QoL in AF patients.MethodsWe performed a systemic review and meta-analysis using a random effects model. We searched for the studies that reported the physical component summary score (PCS) and mental component summary score (MCS) of the short form-36, a validated system to assess and quantify the QoL, before and after RFCA in AF patients. PCS and MCS are T-scores with a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10.ResultsOf the 470 studies identified through systematic search, we included 13 studies for pre-RFCA vs. the post-RFCA analysis and 5 studies for treatment success vs. AF recurrence analyses. In the pre-RFCA vs. post-RFCA analysis, RFCA was associated with a significant increase in both the PCS (weighted mean difference [WMD] = 6.33 [4.81–7.84]; p < 0.001) and MCS (WMD = 7.80 [6.15–9.44]; p < 0.001). The ΔPCS (post-RFCA PCS–pre-RFCA PCS) and ΔMCS values were used for the treatment success vs. AF recurrence analysis. Patients with successful ablation had a higher ΔPCS (WMD = 7.46 [4.44–10.49]; p < 0.001) and ΔMCS (WMD = 7.59 [4.94–10.24]; p < 0.001).ConclusionsRFCA is associated with a significant increase in the PCS and MCS in AF patients. Patients without AF recurrence after RFCA had a better improvement in the PCS and MCS than patients who had AF recurrence.
Highlights
Antiarrhythmic drug therapy is considered as a first line treatment for the management of atrial fibrillation (AF)
Of the 470 studies identified through systematic search, we included 13 studies for preRFCA vs. the post-radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) analysis and 5 studies for treatment success vs. AF recurrence analyses
The ΔPCS and ΔMCS values were used for the treatment success vs. AF recurrence analysis
Summary
Antiarrhythmic drug therapy is considered as a first line treatment for the management of atrial fibrillation (AF). Several trials have studied the efficacy of RFCA in AAD naive patients [8,9,10] These studies have demonstrated a superiority of RFCA in maintaining sinus rhythm in AF patients, current available trials indicate that both AAD and RFCA do not reduce the mortality or serious complications such as stroke [1, 6, 9,10,11]. Reducing AF-related symptoms and improving the quality of life (QoL) is the cornerstone of AF treatment [12, 13]. The main purpose of performing radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients is to improve the quality of life (QoL) and alleviate AF-related symptoms. We aimed to determine the qualitative and quantitative effects of RFCA on the QoL in AF patients
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