Relationship Between Autonomic Nervous System Activity and Recurrence After Cryoballoon Ablation in Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation

Abstract

Introduction: In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between autonomic dysfunction (AD) determined according to the blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) response in exercise treadmill test (ETT) prior to cryoballoon ablation (CBA), and the recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) after CBA in patients with paroxysmal AF. Patients and Methods: Seventy-six patients (mean age 53 ± 11 years, 61.8% male) with paroxysmal AF who underwent CBA were enrolled. Before CBA the ETT was performed by all patients. BP and HR responses in ETT were compared between patients with and without AF recurrence. Results: AD rate was significantly higher in the group with recurrence compared to the non-recurrent group (p< 0.001). In addition to AD, age, female gender, and lower exercise capacity were also associated with post-CBA AF recurrence (p> 0.05 for all). Examining AD parameters, systolic blood pressure at peak exercise (SBPpeak) (p< 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure at peak exercise (DBPpeak) (p< 0.001), slow heart rate recovery (HRR) (p< 0.001) were significantly higher in the recurrent group. Conclusion: AD may be associated with AF recurrence after CBA in patients with paroxysmal AF. SBPpeak, DBPpeak, and slow HRR appear to be predictors of AF recurrence after ablation.