Atrial Fibrillation Types and Chronic Kidney Disease are Independent Predictors of Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence After Radiofrequency Ablation

Purpose: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is classified into paroxysmal, persistent, long-term persistent, and permanent types. It is commonly treated by radiofrequency ablation (RFA), which is more successful than conventional anti-arrhythmic drugs, but it is still largely unknown whether these beneficial effects are equally present for all AF types. Here, we evaluated the impact that AF type has on post-RFA patient conditions and identified underlying factors affecting AF prognoses.

Patients and methods: Three hundred and twenty-nine AF patients who underwent RFA were retrospectively examined (221 paroxysmal, 56 persistent, 52 long-term persistent), during a post-RFA follow-up period, from 3-months to 2-years. Cardiac functional parameters, such as left atrial (LA), ventricular (LV), and pulmonary artery diameters, as well as ejection fraction (EF) and end-diastolic/systolic diameter ratio, were measured using echocardiography. Additionally, chronic kidney disease (CKD) was diagnosed among these AF patients, using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula, and its impact on post-RFA patient outcomes was examined. Logistic regression analysis identified differences between AF and non-AF recurrence groups.

Results: In terms of functional parameters, persistent AF had significantly smaller LA, and larger EF, compared to paroxysmal and long-term persistent groups, while paroxysmal had significantly larger LV versus persistent and long-term persistent after RFA. For post-RFA patient conditions, paroxysmal, compared to persistent and long-term persistent, had significantly lower AF recurrence (18.10% versus 30.36% and 36.54%) and re-hospitalization rates (6.79% versus 14.29% and 19.23%); however, no significant difference was present between the 3 groups in terms of post-operative stroke rates, as well as re-hospitalization duration. Additionally, CKD patients, versus non-CKD, were more prone to AF recurrence and re-hospitalization, being 3.268 times more likely.

Conclusion: AF types and CKD were independent factors influencing AF recurrence, serving as highly sensitive predictors to monitor prognoses and guide treatments. Therefore, personalized treatment regimens should be recommended for different AF patients.