1. Left Atrial Volume Index Predicts Arrhythmia-Free Survival in Patients with Persistent Atrial Fibrillation Undergoing Cryoballoon Ablation
- Author
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Hae W Lim, Jessica Parker, Kristin Corner, Darryl Elmouchi, Alfred Albano, Sanjay Dandamudi, Nagib Chalfoun, Jared Bush, Musa Dahu, Michael Brunner, Andre Gauri, and Alan Woelfel
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Multivariate analysis ,business.industry ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Atrial fibrillation ,Cryoablation ,Catheter ablation ,Ablation ,medicine.disease ,Pulmonary vein ,Pharmacotherapy ,Internal medicine ,Persistent atrial fibrillation ,Cardiology ,Medicine ,Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine ,business ,Original Research - Abstract
BACKGROUND: Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) using cryoballoon ablation (PVI-C) is increasingly performed as a first-line strategy for the treatment of patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (PersAF); however, follow-up data and predictors of procedural success are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To study the efficacy of PVI-C in patients with PersAF, focusing on predictors of procedural success. METHODS: By retrospective review, 148 consecutive patients with PersAF who underwent PVI-C were analyzed. The impact of several variables on outcome was evaluated in univariate and multivariate analyses and Cox proportional hazards regression models. RESULTS: After a mean follow-up of 19.2±10.9 months, 75 (50.7%) patients remained arrhythmia-free without the need for antiarrhythmic drug therapy. Patients with a normal left atrial volume index (LAVI) achieved a 71.0% arrhythmia-free survival. LAVI was the most powerful predictor of procedural success. CONCLUSIONS: Arrhythmia-free survival after PVI-C in select patients with PersAF are promising. Moreover, LAVI is a valuable measurement to help guide ablation strategy and predict outcome when using cryoballoon ablation.
- Published
- 2019