Safety and complications of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation: Predictors of complications from an updated analysis the National Inpatient Database

2024 European Heart Rhythm Association/Heart Rhythm Society/Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society/Latin American Heart Rhythm Society expert consensus statement on catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation

In the last three decades, ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) has become an evidence-based safe and efficacious treatment for managing the most common cardiac arrhythmia. In 2007, the first joint expert consensus document was issued, guiding healthcare professionals involved in catheter or surgical AF ablation. Mounting research evidence and technological advances have resulted in a rapidly changing landscape in the field of catheter and surgical AF ablation, thus stressing the need for regularly updated versions of this partnership which were issued in 2012 and 2017. Seven years after the last consensus, an updated document was considered necessary to define a contemporary framework for selection and management of patients considered for or undergoing catheter or surgical AF ablation. This consensus is a joint effort from collaborating cardiac electrophysiology societies, namely the European Heart Rhythm Association, the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), the Asia Pacific HRS, and the Latin American HRS.

2024 European Heart Rhythm Association/Heart Rhythm Society/Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society/Latin American Heart Rhythm Society expert consensus statement on catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation

In the last three decades, ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) has become an evidence-based safe and efficacious treatment for managing the most common cardiac arrhythmia. In 2007, the first joint expert consensus document was issued, guiding healthcare professionals involved in catheter or surgical AF ablation. Mounting research evidence and technological advances have resulted in a rapidly changing landscape in the field of catheter and surgical AF ablation, thus stressing the need for regularly updated versions of this partnership which were issued in 2012 and 2017. Seven years after the last consensus, an updated document was considered necessary to define a contemporary framework for selection and management of patients considered for or undergoing catheter or surgical AF ablation. This consensus is a joint effort from collaborating cardiac electrophysiology societies, namely the European Heart Rhythm Association, the Heart Rhythm Society, the Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society, and the Latin American Heart Rhythm Society .

Heart failure and atrial fibrillation: Is atrial fibrillation ablation in heart failure pointless or mandatory?

A vast amount of now well-established clinical and epidemiological data indicates a close, interdependent, and symbiotic association between atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF). Both AF and HF, when co-exist in a patient, have serious treatment and prognostic implications. Based on the prevailing knowledge of the topic, various societies have issued a number of guidelines regarding the management of patients with AF and HF. Overall, it is the rhythm control strategy that has shown beneficial effect over the rate control strategy with improvement in symptoms of AF and HF. While antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) and catheter ablation (CA) may be utilized as rhythm control strategy for AF, both AADs and CA have limitations of their own. Furthermore, with the progress made in various pharmacotherapeutic agents in HF, one could question the utility of CA in HF (i.e., whether ablation is mandatory or pointless in patients who have HF). The purpose of this review is to discuss this very point, focusing on the beneficial, neutral, or detrimental outcome of CA based on the category and class of HF.

Optimizing the management of electrophysiology labs in Chinese hospitals using a discrete event simulation tool

BACKGROUND

The growing demand for electrophysiology (EP) treatment in China presents a challenge for current EP care delivery systems. This study constructed a discrete event simulation (DES) model of an inpatient EP care delivery process, simulating a generalized inpatient journey of EP patients from admission to discharge in the cardiology department of a tertiary hospital in China. The model shows how many more patients the system can serve under different resource constraints by optimizing various phases of the care delivery process.

METHODS

Model inputs were based on and validated using real-world data, simulating the scheduling of limited resources among competing demands from different patient types. The patient stay consists of three stages, namely: the pre-operative stay, the EP procedure, and the post-operative stay. The model outcome was the total number of discharges during the simulation period. The scenario analysis presented in this paper covers two capacity-limiting scenarios (CLS): (1) fully occupied ward beds and (2) fully occupied electrophysiology laboratories (EP labs). Within each CLS, we investigated potential throughput when the length of stay or operative time was reduced by 10%, 20%, and 30%. The reductions were applied to patients with atrial fibrillation, the most common indication accounting for almost 30% of patients.

RESULTS

Model validation showed simulation results approximated actual data (137.2 discharges calculated vs. 137 observed). With fully occupied wards, reducing pre- and/or post-operative stay time resulted in a 1-7% increased throughput. With fully occupied EP labs, reduced operative time increased throughput by 3-12%.

CONCLUSIONS

Model validation and scenario analyses demonstrated that the DES model reliably reflects the EP care delivery process. Simulations identified which phases of the process should be optimized under different resource constraints, and the expected increases in patients served.

Impact of Frailty on Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Who Underwent Cardiac Ablation Using a Nationwide Database

This study aimed to assess the association between frailty and clinical outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who undergo catheter ablation. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the National Inpatient Sample database from 2017 to 2019. Adult patients hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of AF who underwent catheter ablation were included. Frailty was assessed using the Hospital Frailty Risk Score. The primary outcome was the presence of any complication (vascular, cardiac, respiratory, neurologic, or infectious), and secondary outcomes were in-hospital mortality, length of hospital stay, and hospital charges. A total of 21,075 weighted hospitalizations were included, and 14% were classified as intermediate or great risk of frailty. Patients with intermediate (adjusted relative risk 2.86, 95% confidence interval 2.24 to 3.67) and great (adjusted relative risk 6.68, 95% confidence interval 3.77 to 11.84) risk of frailty were associated with a greater risk of any complication than that of the group at less risk. The in-hospital mortality rate was significantly higher among patients at intermediate risk than among those at less risk of frailty (2.6% vs 0.1%, p <0.001). Patients with great and intermediate risk had significantly longer hospital stays than did the group with less risk (median 14 vs 5 vs 2 days, p <0.001), in addition to greater total charges (median $189,072 vs $161,598 vs $130,672, p <0.001), respectively. In conclusion, frailty was associated with a greater risk of poor short-term outcomes in patients with AF who underwent catheter ablation. The Hospital Frailty Risk Score is a useful tool for identifying patients at increased risk of adverse events and could aid in preoperative optimization and postoperative management.

Clinical and economic outcomes associated with use of anti-arrhythmic drugs versus ablation in atrial fibrillation

Aim: To evaluate the clinical and economic impact of antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) compared with ablation both as individual treatments and as combination therapy without/with considering the order of treatment among patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib). Materials & methods: A budget impact model over a one-year time horizon was developed to assess the economic impact of AADs (amiodarone, dofetilide, dronedarone, flecainide, propafenone, sotalol, and as a group) versus ablation across three scenarios: direct comparisons of individual treatments, non-temporal combinations, and temporal combinations. The economic analysis was conducted in accordance with CHEERS guidance as per current model objectives. Results are reported as costs per patient per year (PPPY). The impact of individual parameters was evaluated using one-way sensitivity analysis (OWSA). Results: In direct comparisons, ablation had the highest annual medication/procedure cost ($29,432), followed by dofetilide ($7661), dronedarone ($6451), sotalol ($4552), propafenone ($3044), flecainide ($2563), and amiodarone ($2538). Flecainide had the highest costs for long-term clinical outcomes ($22,964), followed by dofetilide ($17,462), sotalol ($15,030), amiodarone ($12,450), dronedarone ($10,424), propafenone ($7678) and ablation ($9948). In the non-temporal scenario, total costs incurred for AADs (group) + ablation ($17,278) were lower compared with ablation alone ($39,380). In the temporal scenario, AADs (group) before ablation resulted in PPPY cost savings of ($22,858) compared with AADs (group) after ablation ($19,958). Key factors in OWSA were ablation costs, the proportion of patients having reablation, and withdrawal due to adverse events. Conclusion: Utilization of AADs as individual treatment or in combination with ablation demonstrated comparable clinical benefits along with costs savings in patients with AFib.

Efficiency and safety of high-power ablation guided by Lesion size index: An ex vivo porcine heart study

BACKGROUND

Although Lesion size index (LSI) has been reported to highly predict radiofrequency lesion size in vitro, its accuracy in lesion size and steam pop estimation has not been well investigated for every possible scenario.

METHODS

Initially, radiofrequency ablations were performed on porcine myocardial slabs at various power, CF, and time settings with blinded LSI. Subsequently, radiofrequency power at 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 W was applied at CF values of 5, 10, 20, and 30 g to reach target LSIs of 4, 5, 6, and 7. Lesion size and steam pops were recorded for each ablation.

RESULTS

Lesion size was positively correlated with LSI regardless of power settings (p < 0.001). The linear correlation coefficients of lesion size and LSI decreased at higher power settings. At high power combined with high CF settings (50 W/20 g), lesion depth and LSI showed an irrelevant correlation (p = 0.7855). High-power ablation shortened ablation time and increased the effect of resistive heating. LSI could predict the risk of steam pops at high-power settings with the optimal threshold of 5.65 (sensitivity, 94.1%; specificity, 46.1%). The ablation depth of the heavy heart was shallower than that of the light heart under similar ablation settings.

CONCLUSIONS

LSI could predict radiofrequency lesion size and steam pops at high power settings in vitro, while synchronous high power and high CF should be avoided. Lighter hearts require relatively lower ablation settings to create appropriate ablation depth.

Pulsed Field Ablation for the Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation: PULSED AF Pivotal Trial

BACKGROUND

Pulsed field ablation uses electrical pulses to cause nonthermal irreversible electroporation and induce cardiac cell death. Pulsed field ablation may have effectiveness comparable to traditional catheter ablation while preventing thermally mediated complications.

METHODS

The PULSED AF pivotal study (Pulsed Field Ablation to Irreversibly Electroporate Tissue and Treat AF) was a prospective, global, multicenter, nonrandomized, paired single-arm study in which patients with paroxysmal (n=150) or persistent (n=150) symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF) refractory to class I or III antiarrhythmic drugs were treated with pulsed field ablation. All patients were monitored for 1 year using weekly and symptomatic transtelephonic monitoring; 3-, 6-, and 12-month ECGs; and 6- and 12-month 24-hour Holter monitoring. The primary effectiveness end point was freedom from a composite of acute procedural failure, arrhythmia recurrence, or antiarrhythmic escalation through 12 months, excluding a 3-month blanking period to allow recovery from the procedure. The primary safety end point was freedom from a composite of serious procedure- and device-related adverse events. Kaplan-Meier methods were used to evaluate the primary end points.

RESULTS

Pulsed field ablation was shown to be effective at 1 year in 66.2% (95% CI, 57.9 to 73.2) of patients with paroxysmal AF and 55.1% (95% CI, 46.7 to 62.7) of patients with persistent AF. The primary safety end point occurred in 1 patient (0.7%; 95% CI, 0.1 to 4.6) in both the paroxysmal and persistent AF cohorts.

CONCLUSIONS

PULSED AF demonstrated a low rate of primary safety adverse events (0.7%) and provided effectiveness consistent with established ablation technologies using a novel irreversible electroporation energy to treat patients with AF.

REGISTRATION

URL: https://www.

CLINICALTRIALS

gov; Unique identifier: NCT04198701.

Initial Findings From the National Cardiovascular Data Registry of Atrial Fibrillation Ablation Procedures

BACKGROUND

The National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) AFib Ablation Registry was created to assess real-world prevalence, demographic characteristics, procedural management, and outcomes of patients undergoing atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation procedures.

OBJECTIVES

The goal of this study was to characterize the patient, hospital, and physician characteristics and in-hospital outcomes related to AF ablation in the first 5 years of the registry.

METHODS

This paper describes the AFib Ablation Registry structure and governance, outcome assessment processes, data quality, and data collection processes. The characteristics of the patient population, hospitals, and in-hospital outcomes are also described.

RESULTS

A total of 76,219 patients were included in the registry between January 2016 and December 2020 (mean age 65.5 ± 10.3 years, 65.2% male, 55.8% paroxysmal AF, mean CHA₂DS₂-VASc score 2.7 ± 1.6) treated by 708 physicians in 162 hospitals. Successful isolation of all pulmonary veins was achieved in 92.4% of patients. The prevalence of any complication during procedural admission was 2.50% and major complication was 0.9%, including significant bradycardia in 0.47%, heart failure in 0.47%, and pericardial effusion requiring intervention in 0.44%. Hospitalization >1 day occurred in 11.8% of patients, and in-hospital death was rare (n = 41 [0.05%]).

CONCLUSIONS

The NCDR AFib Ablation Registry is the largest multicenter, prospective cohort study of patients undergoing catheter ablation worldwide. Results in the first 5 years showed that successful pulmonary vein isolation is achieved in the majority of patients, with a low rate of complications. Future studies from the registry will assess practice trends, evaluate treatment patterns associated with different patient outcomes, and support development of evidence-based guidelines.

Association of Kidney Function With Risk of Adverse Effects of Therapies for Atrial Fibrillation

Introduction

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is treated with rate control medications, antiarrhythmic medications, as well as anticoagulation and procedures, each of which have associated risks. We aimed to evaluate the association of CKD status with the risks of adverse effects after initiation of AF therapies.

Methods

This was a cohort study of community-based adults who newly initiated rate control medications, antiarrhythmic medications, warfarin, direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) or received AF procedures in the 1 year after diagnosis of AF. Baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated using outpatient serum creatinine measures. Adverse effects within 1 year related to each AF therapy or within 1 month of an AF procedure were ascertained from vital sign databases, electrocardiograms (ECGs), and administrative codes. Fine-Gray hazard models were used to study the association of eGFR categories with risk of adverse effects for each AF therapy.

Results

Among 115,564 patients with incident AF, lower eGFR (vs. eGFR ≥60 ml/min per 1.73 m²) was significantly associated with higher adjusted risk of adverse effects after initiation of rate control therapies (most commonly hypotension and bradycardia) as follows: eGFR 45-59 (hazard ratio [HR] 1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07-1.22), 30-44 (HR 1.15, 95% CI 1.06-1.25), and 15-29 (HR 1.29, 95% CI: 1.12-1.47) ml/min per 1.73 m². Lower eGFR was associated with higher adjusted risk of adverse effects (most commonly prolonged QRS and QTc intervals) after initiation of an antiarrhythmic medication (vs. eGFR >60 ml/min per 1.73 m²) as follows: eGFR 45-59 (HR 1.12, 95% CI 1.01-1.23) and eGFR<15 (HR 1.43, 95% CI 1.01-2.01) ml/min per 1.73 m².

Conclusion

There was a graded association between lower eGFR and risk of major bleeding with warfarin use, with the greatest risk among those with eGFR <15 ml/min per 1.73 m² (HR of 2.93, 95% CI 1.99-4.30). There was no association of eGFR with major bleeding in patients receiving DOACs. Rates of adverse effects within 1 month of an AF procedure were low among patients with (n = 18) and without (n = 41) CKD and was underpowered for further analyses. In conclusion, lower eGFR was associated with significantly higher risks of adverse effects after initiation of commonly used therapies to treat AF. These data may help inform the complex therapeutic decisions in patients with CKD and AF.

Quantitative late gadolinium enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance analysis of the relationship between ablation parameter and left atrial tissue lesion following pulmonary vein isolation

Background

The impact of ablation parameters on acute tissue lesion formation after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) has not been sufficiently evaluated in patients with atrial fibrillation. Radiofrequency ablation lesion can be visualized by late gadolinium enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance (LGE-CMR). We sought to quantitatively analyze the relationship between ablation parameter and tissue lesion following PVI at different segments of pulmonary vein (PV) using LGE-CMR.

Methods

Twenty-one patients with atrial fibrillation who underwent PVI procedure were retrospectively enrolled. All patients underwent LGE-CMR examination within 3 days after radiofrequency ablation. Ablation parameters during PVI were documented, including lesion size index (LSI), force-time integral (FTI), power, contact force, temperature, and time of duration. The ablation point was projected onto 3-dimensional (3D) left atrial shell constructed base on LGE-CMR and corresponding image intensity ratio (IIR) was calculated on the same shell. A tissue lesion point was defined when the LGE-CMR IIR was > 1.2.

Results

In total, 1,759 ablation points were analyzed. The ablation parameters and IIRs for each PV segment were significantly different (P < 0.0001). IIRs corresponding to ablation points at posterior of PV tended to be higher than those at non-posterior of PV when similar ablation parameters were applied during ablation. LSI was a better predictor of tissue lesion existence following PVI than FTI, contact force, power, temperature, and duration time at non-posterior wall of PV. The IIR showed positive correlation with LSI at non-posterior wall of PV (non-posterior of right PV, r = 0.13, P = 0.001, non-posterior of left PV, r = 0.26, P < 0.0001).

Conclusion

When similar ablation parameters were applied during PVI, the posterior wall of PV had more severe tissue lesion than non-posterior wall of PV. Therefore, it was reasonable to decrease ablation energy at posterior wall of PV. Moreover, LSI was a better index to reflect tissue lesion quality following PVI at non-posterior of PV.

Safety of left atrial appendage closure in heart failure patients

INTRODUCTION

Left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) is an intervention aimed at stroke prevention in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF). There is a three-fold increased risk of stroke in patients with concomitant presence of AF and heart failure (HF). While anticoagulation is effective, only 60% receive it. We aimed at studying the safety of LAAC in HF patients using a national all-payer database.

METHODS

We queried the National Inpatient Sample for the year 2016-2018 for WATCHMAN device insertion using ICD 10 procedure codes. We divided the study population into HF and non-HF groups. Outcomes were compared using appropriate statistical tests, p< .05 was considered significant.

RESULTS

34 385 LAAC procedures were identified of which 8530 (24.8%) were done in patients with HF. The mean (SD) age of the study population was 76 (7.9) years and 42% were female. There was no difference in mean age between HF and non-HF groups. Our findings indicate that there is no difference in inpatient mortality and cardiac complications between the HF and non-HF groups. However, noncardiac complications including acute kidney injury and respiratory failure were higher in the HF group.

CONCLUSION

LAAC appears to be a safe procedure in patients with HF. The study is limited by a short follow up period and long-term follow-up is required before definitive conclusions can be made.

One Year Outcomes of Atrial Fibrillation Ablation: Contemporary Analysis of the United States Nationwide Readmission Database

BACKGROUND

Data on long-term outcomes of catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) in outside of clinical trials settings are sparse.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to assess outcomes and readmissions at 1 year following admission for CA for AF.

METHODS

Utilizing the Nationwide Readmissions Database (2016-2018), we identified patients with CA among all patients with a primary admission diagnosis of AF, and a control group by propensity score match adjusted for age, sex, comorbidities, CHA₂DS₂-VASc scores, and the hospital characteristics. The primary outcome was a composite of unplanned heart failure (HF), AF and stroke-related readmissions and death at 1 year, and secondary outcomes were hospital outcomes and all-cause readmission rates.

RESULTS

The study cohort consisted of 29,771 patients undergoing CA and 63,988 controls. Patients undergoing CA were younger with lower CHA₂DS₂-VASc scores and less comorbidities. Over a follow-up of 170 ±1.1 days, the primary outcome occurred in 5.2% in CA group and 6.0% of controls (hazard ratio [HR] and 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.86 [0.76-0.94], p = 0.002). CA affected AF and stroke related readmission, but showed no effect on HF and mortality outcome.Male sex (HR: 0.83 [0.74-0.94], p = 0.03), younger age (HR: 0.71 [0.61-0.83], p<0.001], and lower CHA₂DS₂-VASc scores (HR: 0.68 [0.55-0.84], p<0.001) were associated with lower risk of primary outcome with CA.

CONCLUSION

In this study, CA for AF was associated with significantly lower AF and stroke-related admissions, but not to HF or all cause readmission. Better outcomes were seen among males, younger patients and in patients with less comorbidities and low CHA₂DS₂-VASc scores. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Trends and sex differences in atrial fibrillation hospitalization and catheter ablation at tertiary hospitals in China from 2013 to 2016

BACKGROUND

Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) is commonly performed worldwide. However, the clinical characteristics of hospitalized patients with AF and national trends in catheter ablation at tertiary hospitals in China remain unreported.

METHODS

This study used the Chinese national database (Hospital Quality Monitoring System) from 2013 to 2016, which is a mandatory database that collects the front page of patients’ medical records for hospital accreditation, to describe the clinical characteristics of patients with AF as an overall cohort and as subgroups divided by catheter ablation and sex.

RESULTS

Of 597,919 AF patients first admitted, 57,983 patients underwent catheter ablation [56,384 cases (97.2%) of radiofrequency ablation and 1599 cases (2.8%) of cryoablation] at 746 tertiary hospitals. Nearly 10% of patients hospitalized with AF at tertiary hospitals in China underwent catheter ablation, and the percentage of patients undergoing catheter ablation was on the rise between 2013 and 2016, and the number of cases increased by 2.5 times. Compared with AF patients who did not undergo catheter ablation, those who did were younger, more frequently male, and had fewer baseline comorbidities. Although the overall CHA₂DS₂VASc score revealed over half of the patients were high-risk, patients who underwent catheter ablation were mostly low-risk (71.2% of males and 59.1% of females). Considering in-hospital adverse events, the overall pericardial tamponade and all-cause death incidences were 0.2% (0.6% in the ablation group) and 1.2% (0.1% in the ablation group), respectively; both of which were higher in females than males.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, AF patients who underwent catheter ablation were relatively young, had a low thrombosis risk, and had few comorbidities and adverse events. Females were older and experienced more complications than males.

Atrial Fibrillation Ablation in Chronic Kidney Disease - Lessons from Large Datasets

Outcomes data regarding atrial fibrillation (AF) treatment in chronic kidney disease (CKD) are lacking. Available data and unanswered questions in this realm will be discussed, along with how the present manuscript fits into the overall literature of this field. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Temporal trends and in-hospital complications of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation among patients with moderate and advanced chronic kidney diseases: 2005-2018

INTRODUCTION

Real-world data on atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation among moderate and advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients have so far remained scarce, especially in-hospital AF ablation outcomes.

METHODS

We drew data from the US National Inpatient Sample to identify hospitalized patients who underwent AF ablation between 2005 and 2018, and further stratified by CKD classification. We assessed the trend of AF ablation, as well as its complications.

RESULTS

A total of 152 630 patients who were primarily hospitalized for AF and underwent ablation were estimated. Among these, CKD patients were found in a total of 1509 participants, with 978, 206, and 325 under CKD3, CKD4, and CKD5/ESKD, respectively. There was a significant increment in admission rates for AF ablation in the CKD population across all CKD classifications (p < .001). All CKD patients were statistically older, with higher coexisting comorbidities, while hypertension was found substantially lower than non-CKD patients (p ≤ .001). Importantly, CKD, especially CKD3 and CKD5/ESKD, was significantly associated with an increased risk of total complications, and total bleeding, Neurological complications were found statistically lower in CKD patients (p = .029), and no mortality rates were significantly different (p = .287).

CONCLUSION

Our study observed an increase in admission trends for AF ablation among moderate and advanced CKD patients from 2005 to 2018. CKD was strongly associated with higher procedure-related complications and bleeding, but neurological safety profiles and mortalities rates were nonsignificantly different.