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Hereijgers MJ, van der Velden RM, el Moussaoui N, Verhaert DV, Habibi Z, Luermans J, den Uijl D, Chaldoupi SM, Vernooy K, Schotten U, Baumert M, Gietema HA, Mihl C, Koltowski L, Franssen FM, Simons SO, Linz D. Repurposing catheter ablation work-up to detect expiratory airflow limitation in patients with atrial fibrillation. Int J Cardiol Heart Vasc 2023; 49:101305. [PMID: 38053981 PMCID: PMC10694302 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcha.2023.101305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Background In atrial fibrillation (AF) patients, presence of expiratory airflow limitation may negatively impact treatment outcomes. AF patients are not routinely screened for expiratory airflow limitation, but existing examinations can help identify at-risk individuals. We aimed to assess the diagnostic value of repurposing existing assessments from the pre-ablation work-up to identify and understand the characteristics of affected patients. Methods We screened 110 consecutive AF patients scheduled for catheter ablation with handheld spirometry. Routine pre-ablation work-up included cardiac computed tomographic angiography (CCTA), transthoracic echocardiography and polygraphy. CCTA was analyzed qualitatively for emphysema and airway abnormalities. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine predictors of expiratory airflow limitation. Results We found that 25 % of patients had expiratory airflow limitation, which was undiagnosed in 86 % of these patients. These patients were more likely to have pulmonary abnormalities on CCTA, including emphysema (odds ratio [OR] 4.2, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.12-15.1, p < 0.05) and bronchial wall thickening (OR 2.6, 95 % CI 1.0-6.5, p < 0.05). The absence of pulmonary abnormalities on CCTA accurately distinguished patients with normal lung function from those with airflow limitation (negative predictive value: 85 %). Echocardiography and polygraphy did not contribute significantly to identifying airflow limitation. Conclusions In conclusion, routine pre-ablation CCTA can detect pulmonary abnormalities in AF patients with airflow limitation, guiding further pulmonary assessment. Future studies should investigate its impact on ablation procedure success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maartje J.M. Hereijgers
- Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- CARIM Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Rachel M.J. van der Velden
- Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- CARIM Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Nora el Moussaoui
- Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Dominique V.M. Verhaert
- Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- CARIM Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Cardiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Zarina Habibi
- Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- CARIM Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Cardiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Justin Luermans
- Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- CARIM Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Dennis den Uijl
- Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- CARIM Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Sevasti-Maria Chaldoupi
- Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- CARIM Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Kevin Vernooy
- Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- CARIM Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Ulrich Schotten
- Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- CARIM Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Mathias Baumert
- Discipline of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Hester A. Gietema
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- GROW School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Casper Mihl
- CARIM Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Lukasz Koltowski
- First Department of Cardiology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Frits M.E. Franssen
- Department of Research and Development, Ciro, Horn, The Netherlands
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Sami O. Simons
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- NUTRIM Research Institute of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Dominik Linz
- Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- CARIM Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Cardiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders, University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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