Incidence and Implications of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea in Patients Presenting for Atrial Fibrillation Ablation: A Prospective Study

Background: Incessant focal atrial tachycardia (AT)may be complicated by LV dysfunction. The aim was to characterise the incidence, ECG and EP features of incessant focal AT and identify predictors of tachycardia mediated cardiomyopathy (TCM). Methods: 82 of 345 (24%) pts with focal AT presenting for radiofrequency ablation between 1997 and 2008 were incessant. Incessant AT was defined as continuous tachycardia or recurrent paroxysms of tachycardia separated by ≤2 sinus beats. Results: The mean age was 42± 20 years, 57% were male and mean symptom duration was 5± 7 years. TCM was present in 30/82 (37%), defined as LVEF