Cryoballoon Catheter Ablation For Atrial Fibrillation Research Articles

Abstract 10880: Left Atrial Epicardial Adipose Tissue Predicts Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence Following Catheter Ablation

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence following catheter ablation (CA) remains high. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is increasingly recognized for its significant role in promoting AF arrhythmogenesis due to its proinflammatory properties and anatomic proximity to the myocardium. We sought to assess whether left atrial (LA) EAT volume is associated with AF recurrence following CA. Methods: EAT was assessed via cardiac MRI using a 3D Dixon sequence (Panel A) in 101 patients undergoing radiofrequency or cryoballoon CA for AF. Patients were followed for AF recurrence. Results: During an average follow-up period of 300 days, post ablation AF recurrence occurred in 31 (30.7%) patients. The median time for AF recurrence following CA was 136 days. LA EAT index was higher in those with recurrence (20.7 [16.9, 30.4] vs 13.7 [10.5, 20.1] mL/m 2 , p < 0.001), and so was LA volume index (66.6 [53.8, 77.5] vs 49.9 [37.7, 62.8] mL/m 2 , p < 0.001). The ROC curve for LA EAT index in the prediction of AF recurrence had an AUC of 0.77 (95% CI 0.68-0.86, p<0.001) and showed an optimal cutoff value of 14.29 mL/m 2 to identify patients at risk of AF recurrence post ablation (Youden’s J statistic = 0.446). Integrating LA EAT with clinical risk factors (age, BMI, AF type and hypertension) provided a better discriminatory performance in predicting AF recurrence than clinical risk factors alone (AUC 0.79 vs 0.65, DeLong test p = 0.044) (Panel B). Cox regression analysis showed LA EAT (HR: 1.088; 95% CI: [1.047-1.13], p <0.001) to be an independent predictor of post ablation AF recurrence. The Kaplan-Meier curve for recurrence free survival showed a significant difference between 2 groups of patients identified by the optimal LA EAT index cut-off of 14.29 mL/m 2 (log rank = 14.79; p < 0.001) (Panel C). Conclusion: EAT quantified using cardiac MRI, a reproducible and widely accessible imaging parameter, is a strong and independent predictor of AF recurrence following CA.

Sex Differences in Cardiac Arrhythmias: Clinical and Research Implications.

Sex differences have the potential to impact diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in a wide variety of medical conditions, and cardiac arrhythmias are no exception.1 Studies evaluating pathophysiology, disease course, and therapeutic options for cardiac arrhythmias have been performed predominantly in male patients. However, catheter and device-based therapies coupled with landmark clinical trials have contributed to an improved understanding of this important aspect. The objective of this review is to present the current state of knowledge on sex differences in cardiac arrhythmias with a focus on clinical management, while highlighting gaps in knowledge that would benefit from future investigation. ### Atrial Fibrillation and Atrial Flutter #### Disease Burden Atrial fibrillation (AF) and atrial flutter (AFL) are the most commonly encountered tachyarrhythmias in clinical practice, with significant implications for public health and healthcare costs. Stroke, hospitalization, and loss of productivity are the major consequences of AF.2 The incidence of AF (per 1000 person-years) is reported to be between 1.6 and 2.7 in women and between 3.8 and 4.7 in men.2 The age-adjusted incidence and prevalence of AF is lower in women compared with that in men, and accordingly, the lifetime risk of AF from the Framingham Heart Study at 40 years of age was higher in men (26.0% for men versus 23.0% for women).3 Another analysis from the Framingham Heart Study demonstrated no significant sex differences in the risk of developing AFL.4 The prevalence of AF continues to rise among both men and women. In a study investigating the global burden of disease from 1980 to 2010, there was not only an increase in overall burden, incidence, and prevalence of AF, but most importantly an increase in AF-associated mortality in both men and women (Figure 1).5 The age-adjusted mortality for women was consistently higher compared with that for men from 1990 to 2010 (Figure …

Fibrosis Marker Soluble ST2 Predicts Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence after Cryoballoon Catheter Ablation of Nonvalvular Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation.

Background and ObjectivesWe aimed to investigate the relationship between the recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) and fibrosis marker soluble ST2 (sST2) in patients with nonvalvular paroxysmal AF (PAF).MethodsWe prospectively included 100 consecutive patients with PAF diagnosis and scheduled for cryoballoon catheter ablation for AF (47 males, 53 females; mean age 55.1±10.8 years). sST2 plasma levels were determined using the ASPECT-PLUS assay on ASPECT Reader device (Critical Diagnostics). The measurement range of these measurements was 12.5–250 ng/mL. Patients had regular follow-up visits with 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), medical history, and clinical evaluation. Twenty-four hours Holter ECG monitoring had been recorded 12 months after ablation.ResultsAF recurrence was detected in 22 patients after 1 year. Age, smoking history, diabetes mellitus,hypertension frequency, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor-angiotensin receptor blocker use, CHA2DS2VASc and HAS-BLED scores, serum sST2 level, left atrium (LA) end-diastolic diameter, LA volume and LA volume index were related to AF recurrence. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, sST2 was found to be only independent parameter for predicting AF recurrence (odds ratio, 1.085; p=0.001). Every 10-unit increase in sST2 was found to be associated with 2.103-fold increase in the risk of AF recurrence. The cut-off value of sST2 obtained by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was 30.6 ng/mL for prediction of AF recurrence (sensitivity: 77.3%, specificity: 79.5%). The area under the curve was 0.831 (p<0.001).ConclusionssST2, which is associated with atrial fibrosis, can be thought to be a useful marker for detection of patients with high-grade fibrosis who will get less benefit from cryoablation.