scholarly journals Safety and outcome of cryoballoon ablation versus radiofrequency catheter ablation of the pulmonary veins in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation

QJM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 113 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
O H M A Riad ◽  
T Wong ◽  
A N Ali ◽  
M T Ibrahim ◽  
M A Abdelhamid ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) has become the mainstay of catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF). There are two commonly used methods to isolate the pulmonary veins, either point-by-point delivery of circumferential lesion sets around ipsilateral pulmonary veins using radiofrequency energy, or the application of the cryoballoon to the pulmonary vein antrum with occlusion of the vein ostium. The cryoballoon has proven to be a reliable alternative to radiofrequency ablation in acute and long-term freedom from AF. We describe our results using both modalities. Aim and Objectives to compare the safety and efficacy of cryoballoon (CB) ablation and radiofrequency (RF) ablation in treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Patients and Methods Forty-four consecutive patients having paroxysmal AF underwent PVI using the second generation cryoballoon were compared to a retrospective cohort of 69 patients who had radiofrequency induced PVI, either by conventional RF catheter (n = 32), or a contact-force sensing-catheter (n = 37). The study took place at Ain Shams university hospitals and Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS trust. Patient data, procedural data and follow up data- at 3, 6 and 12 months- were collected and analysed. Recurrence was defined as documented AF or atrial arrhythmias with duration exceeding 30 seconds, either by 12 lead ECG or an ambulatory monitoring device. Results A total of 113 patients were studied. The mean age was 53.84 ± 15.01 for the CB group and 55.78 ± 14.84 for the RF group and females representing 40.9% vs 34.8% respectively. The mean procedural times in minutes were significantly less in the CB group (94.37 ± 39.32 vs 184.57 ± 88.19, p < 0.0001), while the median fluoroscopy times were similar [30 (11.04 - 40) vs 37.25 (14.2 - 70), p = 0.172]. Procedural complications were comparable between the two groups (p = 0.06) with 1 patient (2.3%) having long term phrenic nerve paresis. At 1 year follow up, after an initial 90-day blanking period, recurrence rate of CB was similar to RF (27.3% vs 30.4% respectively, p = 0.719), the Kaplan Meier estimates of AF- free survival for a period of 1 year were comparable between both groups (log rank test, p = 0.606). Conclusion Cryoballoon is a feasible method for pulmonary vein isolation with similar success rates to radiofrequency ablation. Cryoballoon ablation is safe with shorter duration of the procedure.

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 643-648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jindong Chen ◽  
Hao Wang ◽  
Mengmeng Zhou ◽  
Liang Zhao

AbstractBackground:To assess the effectiveness of radiofrequency catheter ablation for lone atrial fibrillation in young adults.Methods:This single-centre, retrospective, observational study enrolled 75 consecutive patients (86.7% men) under 35 (median, 30) years old with lone atrial fibrillation (68% paroxysmal, 26.7% persistent, and 5.3% long-standing persistent) without other cardiopulmonary diseases who underwent catheter ablation between April 2009 and May 2017. Procedural endpoints were circumferential pulmonary vein ablation for atrial fibrillation with pulmonary vein trigger, and target ablation or bidirectional block of lines and disappearance of complex fractionated atrial electrograms for atrial fibrillation with clear and unclear non-pulmonary vein triggers, respectively.Results:Main study outcome was rate of survival free from atrial tachyarrhythmia recurrence, which at median 61 (range, 5–102) months follow-up was 62.7% (64.7 and 58.3% for paroxysmal and non-paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, respectively) after single ablation, and 69.3% (68.6 and 70.8% for paroxysmal and non-paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, respectively) after mean 1.2 ablations (two and three ablations in 11 and 2 patients, respectively). In multivariate analysis, non-pulmonary vein trigger was a significant independent predictor of recurrent atrial tachyarrhythmia (OR, 10.60 [95%CI, 2.25–49.96]; p = 0.003). There were no major periprocedural adverse events.Conclusions:In patients under 35 years old with lone atrial fibrillation, radiofrequency catheter ablation appeared effective particularly for atrial fibrillation with pulmonary vein trigger and regardless of left atrial size or atrial fibrillation duration or type. Atrial tachyarrhythmia recurrence after multiple ablations warrants further study.


Author(s):  
Filip Casselman ◽  
Ihsan Bakir ◽  
Pedro Brugada ◽  
Peter Geelen ◽  
Francis Wellens ◽  
...  

Objective To evaluate the feasibility and results of isolated endoscopic pulmonary vein isolation for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation using robotics. Methods Between November 2004 and December 2005, 13 patients (38.5% female) underwent robotic pulmonary vein isolation at our institution. Mean age was 46.8 ± 8.4 years and mean preoperative duration of atrial fibrillation was 52.7 ±31.5 months. Indication for surgery was symptomatic drug-refractory paroxysmal atrial fibrillation or recurrence after percutaneous treatment (n = 3). Mean preoperative left atrial dimension was 38.5 ± 6.9 mm. The surgical procedure was performed off-pump as an isolated right chest approach. All procedures were performed using the Flex 10 microwave ablator (Guidant, Indianapolis, IN), which was positioned from the right side through the transverse sinus and around the 4 pulmonary veins. Postoperative drug regimen included sotalol and Coumadin. Mean follow-up was 8.5 ± 3.4 months. Results The procedure was successful in 11 patients. One patient needed conversion to median sternotomy for right pulmonary artery bleeding and a second patient had severe transverse sinus adhesions requiring conversion to a bilateral video-assisted small thoracotomy approach. No other morbidity occurred. Mean procedure time in successful cases was 2.7 ± 0.8 hours (range 1.7 to 4 hours). Permanent sinus rhythm was successfully restored in 10 of 13 patients (76.9% beyond 6 months). Nonsuccessful patients had markedly reduced symptoms and frequency of events. One patient required a left and another a right atrial flutter ablation during follow-up. Conclusions Robotic pulmonary vein isolation is a feasible procedure that has the potential to become a valid option in the treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.


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