Treatment with catheter ablation for patients with arrhythmia-induced cardiomyopathy caused by atrial fibrillation promises a good prognosis

This study aimed to explore the clinical outcomes of patients with arrhythmia-induced cardiomyopathy (AIC) and the influence of pharmacological treatment on clinical outcomes in patients with AIC after the procedure. Ninety-six patients with AF with a reduced LVEF (LVEF  <  50%, 66.7 ± 10.9 years; 72 males) underwent AF ablation. AIC was defined as patients whose LVEF recovered ≥ 50% after catheter ablation (n = 67) and patients whose LVEF remained reduced were defined as non-AIC (n = 29). During a median follow-up of 25 (13–40) months, Kaplan–Meier analysis demonstrated that patients with AIC were associated with less frequent cardiovascular death (p = 0.025) and hospitalization for worsening heart failure (p <  0.001) than those without AIC. Freedom from AF recurrence was similar between the two groups (p = 0.47). In multivariate analysis, the LV end-diastolic diameter (p = 0.0002) and the CHA2DS2-VASc scores (p = 0.0062) were independent predictors of AIC. Among the 67 patients with AIC, no significant differences in baseline characteristics, except for LV chamber size and cryoballoon use, were observed between patients with AIC with (n = 31) and without renin–angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors (n = 36). In the Kaplan–Meier analysis, cardiovascular death, hospitalization for worsening heart failure, and AF recurrence after catheter ablation did not differ between patients treated with and without RAS inhibi...
Source: Heart and Vessels - Category: Cardiology Source Type: research