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Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation results in greater improvement in cardiac function in patients with low versus normal left ventricular ejection fraction

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Journal of Interventional Cardiac Electrophysiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

It is still unknown whether left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) might affect the magnitude of improvement after atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation on cardiac function in persistent or longstanding persistent AF (CAF) patients.

Method

We performed echocardiography in 35 patients with CAF before and after catheter ablation (CA). Patients were stratified by LVEF into two groups prior to CA—normal LVEF (≥50 % LVEF, N group, n = 24) and a low LVEF group (<50 % LVEF, L group, n = 11). Patients were followed at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after ablation.

Results

After 15.8 ± 7.4 months follow-up, the L group showed greater improvement in LVEF and left atrial ejection fraction (LAEF; N group vs L group: LVEF difference (%), 5 ±8 vs 20± 13, p < 0.01; LAEF difference (%), 11 ± 12 vs 21 ± 10, p < 0.05). LA maximal volume and E/e′ showed the same tendency after ablation, although the extent of improvement was not statistically significant. Both groups showed almost the same time course of improvement up to 2 years, although the L group showed earlier recovery in LVEF.

Conclusion

The greater improvement in several cardiac functions was seen in patients with greater LV dysfunction, after the CA for CAF.

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Abbreviations

AF:

Atrial fibrillation

CAF:

Persistent or longstanding persistent AF

CFAE:

Complex fragmented atrial electrogram

LA:

Left atrium

LAEF:

Left atrial ejection fraction

LVEF:

Left ventricular ejection fraction

MDCT:

Multidetector computed tomography

PSVT:

Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia

PV:

Pulmonary vein

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cardiology, Cumhuriyet University Medical School, Sivas, Turkey

    Zekeriya Kucukdurmaz & Alim Erdem

  2. Department of Cardiology, Saitama Medical University, International Medical Center, 1397-1 Yamane, Hidaka, Saitama, 350-1298, Japan

    Zekeriya Kucukdurmaz, Ritsushi Kato, Alim Erdem, Ebru Golcuk, Takeshi Tobiume, Takahiko Nagase, Yoshifumi Ikeda, Yoshie Nakajima, Makoto Matsumura, Nobuyuki Komiyama, Shigeyuki Nishimura & Kazuo Matsumoto

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  1. Zekeriya Kucukdurmaz
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  2. Ritsushi Kato
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Correspondence to Ritsushi Kato.

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Kucukdurmaz, Z., Kato, R., Erdem, A. et al. Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation results in greater improvement in cardiac function in patients with low versus normal left ventricular ejection fraction. J Interv Card Electrophysiol 37, 179–187 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10840-013-9794-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10840-013-9794-6

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