Federico Ferraris

Which are the most reliable predictors of recurrence of atrial fibrillation after transcatheter ablation?: a meta-analysis.

CONTEXT Transcatheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) has undergone important development, with acceptable midterm results in terms of the safety and recurrence. A meta-analysis was performed to identify the periprocedural complications, midterm success rates and predictors of recurrence after AF ablation. METHODS AND RESULTS 4357 patients with paroxysmal AF, 1083 with persistent AF and 1777 with long standing AF were included. The pooled analysis showed that there was an in-hospital complication rate of tamponade requiring drainage of 0.99% (0.44-1.54; CI 99%), stroke with neurological persistent impairment of 0.22% (0.04-0.47; CI 99%), and stroke without of 0.36% (0.03-0.70; CI 99%) After a follow up of 22 (13-28) months and 1.23 (1.19-1.5; CI 99%) procedures per patient, the AF recurrence rate was 31.20% (24.87-34.81; CI 99%). The persistent AF patients exhibited a greater risk of recurrence after the first ablation (OR 1.78 [1.14, 2.77] CI 99%), but a trend towards non significance was present in the patients with more than one procedure (OR 1.69 [0.95, 3.00] CI 99%). The most powerful predictors of an AF ablation failure in the overall population were a recurrence within 30-days (OR 4.30; 2.00-10.80), valvular AF (OR 5.20; 2.22-9.50) and a left atrium diameter of more than 50mm (OR 5.10 2.00-12.90; all CI 95%). CONCLUSIONS Persistent AF remains burdened from higher recurrence rates, however not so following redo-procedures. Three predictors, valvular AF, a left atrium diameter longer than 50mm and recurrence within 30 days, could be appraised to drive selection of patients and therapeutic strategy.

History of transcatheter atrial fibrillation ablation.

Transcatheter atrial fibrillation ablation has undergone an impetuous advance over the past decades, reaching satisfactory results concerning safety and medium-term efficacy. Several experimental studies have paved the way both to new ablative procedures and technologies development. The present work reviews the history of transcatheter atrial fibrillation ablation, offering a wide view of current catheter-delivered atrial fibrillation procedures.

Long-term progression from paroxysmal to permanent atrial fibrillation following transcatheter ablation in a large single-center experience

BACKGROUND The natural history of atrial fibrillation (AF) is characterized by gradual increase in duration and frequency of relapses until a definitive shift to permanent AF. Heart disease and comorbidities modulate AF progression. However, to date the influence of catheter ablation on AF evolution has rarely been investigated. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to identify long-term predictors of AF progression in a large cohort of patients undergoing AF transcatheter ablation (AFTCA). METHODS A total of 889 patients (mean age 57 ± 11 years; 53.3% paroxysmal AF, 40.5% persistent AF, 6.2% long-standing AF) underwent AFTCA. All patients underwent pulmonary vein isolation, with linear lesions and complex fractionated atrial electrogram ablation reserved for patients with persistent/long-standing AF and/or confirmed structural heart disease. RESULTS After median follow-up of 64 months (range 41-84 years), AF progression despite AFTCA occurred in 57 cases (6.4%). However, AF progression was much more pronounced in patients with persistent (10%) or long-standing persistent AF (14.6%) than in those with paroxysmal AF (2.7%, P <.001). Furthermore, AF progression was more frequently reported in patients who presented with underlying comorbidities/cardiomyopathies (9.1%) than in those who presented with lone AF (29.9%, P <.001). At multivariate analysis, comorbidities/cardiomyopathies and baseline persistent/long-standing AF proved to be independent predictors of progression (odds ratio 11.3, 95% confidence interval 2.6-48.0, P <.001, and odds ratio 1.6, 95% confidence interval 1.2-2.1, P <.001, respectively). CONCLUSION The presence of comorbidities/cardiomyopathies and persistent/long-standing AF seem to predict AF progression in patients undergoing AFTCA. Performing AFTCA in the paroxysmal phase of the arrhythmia may reduce progression of AF to its permanent form.

Long-term events following atrial fibrillation rate control or transcatheter ablation: a multicenter observational study.

Background Atrial fibrillation increases thromboembolic risk. Oral anticoagulation with antivitamin K (AVK) reduces thromboembolic event rate, but increases hemorrhagic risk. Objective The aim of the present study was to describe long-term cerebral thromboembolic/hemorrhagic event rates in atrial fibrillation patients managed by rhythm control, pursued by atrial fibrillation transcatheter ablation (AFTCA), and rate control strategy. Methods and results One thousand and five hundred consecutive patients referring to three medical care centers for atrial fibrillation were retrospectively divided into three groups: AFTCA maintaining AVK (group A); AFTCA discontinuing AVK (group B); and rate control strategy and AVK (group C). Thromboembolic and hemorrhagic events were recorded in 60 ± 28 months of follow-up. Thromboembolic events did not differ between the groups (5/500, 1% group A; 7/500, 1.4% group B; 11/500, 2.2% group C; P = 0.45), and hemorrhagic events were greater in group A (9/500, 1.8%) and C (12/500, 2.4%) than in group B (no events; P = 0.003). Among patients with CHA2DS2 VASc score 2 or less, thromboembolic events did not differ in the group discontinuing AVK (group B, 4/388, 1%) or not (group A, 1/319, 0.3%; P = 0.38), whereas hemorrhagic events were more common in patients on AVK (5/319, 1.5% group A and 3/175, 1.7% group C; P = 0.02) compared with those discontinuing AVK (0/388, group B). Following AFTCA (groups A and B), 299/1000 experienced atrial fibrillation relapses; all thromboembolic events (12/299, 4%) occurred within these patients (P < 0.001). Conclusion Considering this multicenter design study, AVK continuation following AFTCA, especially within patients with low-to-intermediate thromboembolic risk, confers a hemorrhagic risk greater to the thromboembolic protective effect. All thromboembolic events following AFTCA occur within patients experiencing atrial fibrillation relapses; therefore, in patients with high thromboembolic risk routine rhythm monitoring is essential after AVK discontinuation.

A new electrophysiology era: zero fluoroscopy

Catheter ablations are traditionally performed under fluoroscopic guidance. Besides other peri-interventional risks, radiation exposure should be considered for its stochastic and deterministic effects on health. These effects are cumulative and lifelong and raise great concerns especially in the younger population. A document of the American College of Cardiology recommends that all catheterization laboratories adopt the principles of ‘ALARA’ (radiation doses ‘As Low As Reasonably Achievable’), making radiation reduction an ethical issue. In electrophysiology, thanks to the recent development of electroanatomic navigation systems, we are witnessing the birth of a new era in which almost all arrhythmias may be treated without the use of fluoroscopy. In the present review, we start by describing risks to health due to radiation exposure for conventional transcatheter ablations and we continue by reporting the current state of art of the zero fluoroscopy approach.

Left persistent superior vena cava and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: the role of selective radio-frequency transcatheter ablation.

Persistent left superior vena cava (LPSVC) is a rare congenital anomaly of the thoracic venous system that can trigger paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. The role of this venous anomaly must be carefully considered in patients undergoing conventional atrial fibrillation transcatheter ablation by pulmonary vein isolation to avoid unnecessary lesions, left atrium access and arrhythmia relapses. In fact, the present clinical perspective suggests sole LPSVC isolation is a well tolerated and effective approach in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and arrhythmic trigger originating from a LPSVC.

Atrial fibrillation and female sex.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common supraventricular arrhythmia. Its prevalence increases with age and preferentially affects male patients. Over 75 years of age, however, female patients being more prevalent, the absolute number of patients affected is similar between sexes. Despite this, few data are available in the literature concerning sex-related differences in atrial fibrillation patients. The present systematic review therefore considers comorbidities, referring symptoms, quality of life, pharmacological approaches and trans-catheter ablation in female rather than in male atrial fibrillation patients in search of parameters that may have an impact on the treatment outcome. In brief, female atrial fibrillation patients more commonly present comorbidities, leading to a higher prevalence of persistent atrial fibrillation; moreover, they refer to hospital care later and with a longer disease history. Atrial fibrillation symptoms relate to low quality of life in female patients; in fact, atrial fibrillation paroxysm usually presents higher heart rate, leading to preferentially adopt a rate rather than a rhythm-control strategy. Female atrial fibrillation patients present an increased risk of stroke, worsened by the lower oral anticoagulant prescription rate related to the concomitant higher haemorrhagic risk profile. Trans-catheter ablation is under-used in female patients and, on the contrary, they are more commonly affected by anti-arrhythmic drug side effects.

Conduction recovery following catheter ablation in patients with recurrent atrial fibrillation and heart failure

BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation (AF) catheter ablation is increasingly proposed for patients suffering from AF and concomitant heart failure (HF). However, the optimal ablation strategy remains controversial. We performed this study to assess the prevalence of pulmonary vein (PV) or linear lesion reconnection in HF patients undergoing repeated procedures. METHODS AND RESULTS At seven high-volume centres, 165 patients with HF underwent a repeat procedure after a first AF ablation including PV isolation alone (47 patients, group A) or PV isolation plus left atrial lines (118 patients, group B). Group A patients presented more often paroxysmal AF (p<0.001), less enlarged left atrium (p<0.001) and less left ventricular systolic dysfunction (p=0.031) compared to Group B, that more commonly had atypical atrial flutter (p<0.001). Forty-one (87%) patients in Group A and 69 (58%) in Group B presented at least one reconnected PV (p<0.001). Sixty-one (52%) patients in Group B presented at least one reconnected atrial line (left isthmus or roof). Patients without any reconnected PV (n=54, 33%) more frequently experienced persistent AF (p<0.001), had longer AF duration (p=0.047) and larger left atrial volume (p<0.001). Twenty-five patients (15%) with no PV and/or line reconnection did not significantly differ, concerning baseline characteristics, compared to those with at least one reconnected ablation site. CONCLUSION As in the general AF population undergoing catheter ablation, PV reconnection is frequent in patients with HF and symptomatic recurrence. However, one third of patients presented arrhythmic recurrences even in the absence of PV reconnection, highlighting the importance of the underlying atrial substrate.

Do left atrial appendage morphology and function help predict thromboembolic risk in atrial fibrillation

Clinical scores (i.e. CHA2DS2-VASc) are the mainstay of thromboembolic risk management in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Nonetheless, they bear some limitations to precisely define risk–benefit ratio of oral anticoagulation (OAC), both with vitamin K antagonists and with novel direct oral anticoagulants, especially in patients with low-intermediate scores. Cardiovascular imaging, allowing directly visualization of those pathophysiological alterations, which may lead to the formation of intracardiac thrombi, offers itself as a unique tool helping to refine thromboembolic risk stratification. Many parameters have been tested, focusing primarily on functional and morphological variables of the left atrium and left atrial appendage (LAA). Left atrium volume and LAA peak flow velocity have, for a longtime, been associated with increased thromboembolic risk, whereas some new parameters, such as left atrium fibrosis assessed by late-gadolinium enhanced (LGE) MRI, left atrium and LAA strain and LAA morphology have more recently shown some ability in predicting embolic events in atrial fibrillation patients. Overall, however, these parameters have seen, to date, scarce clinical implementation, especially because of the inconsistency of validated cutoffs and/or strong clinical evidence driven by technical limitations, such as expensiveness of the technologies (i.e. MRI or computed tomography), invasiveness (i.e. transesophageal echocardiography) or limited reproducibility (i.e. LGE MRI). In conclusion, to date, cardiovascular imaging plays a limited role; however, validation and diffusion of the new techniques hereby systematically presented hold the potential to refine thromboembolic risk stratification in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

Left anterior descending coronary artery fistula to left ventricle: The revenge of a well treated myocardial infarction in the era of primary percutaneous angioplasty☆

To better discriminate between different diagnoses, once patients informed consent was obtained, we performed coronary angiography which demonstrated the absence of vessel stenosis but the presence of opacification of the left ventricular cavity almost simultaneously with the left coronary tree (Fig. 2B): we identified a multi-vessel like structure originating from the left anterior descending artery (LAD) functioning like a conduit between it and the left ventricular cavity. Comparing this angiography with the previous one made during the acute myocardial infarction seven years before, this structure was not visible (Fig. 2A). Suspecting a new formation not visible with echo, we performed magnetic resonance and computed tomography (Fig. 3 )t o better explore the surface of the heart and the thickness of the myocardial muscle, but no more information was obtained, Therefore we concluded for an acquired coronary artery fistula (CAF) after myocardial infarction. Coronary artery fistula is a rare and usually congenital anomaly (0.05–0.25%of patientswhoundergo coronaryangiographyfor anyrea