Safety and Long-Term Outcomes of Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation Using Magnetic Navigation versus Manual Conventional Ablation: A Propensity-Score Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Whether or not the potential advantages of using a magnetic navigation system (MNS) translate into improved outcomes in patients undergoing atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation is a question that remains unanswered. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this observational registry study, we used propensity-score matching to compare the outcomes of patients with symptomatic drug-refractory AF who underwent catheter ablation using MNS with the outcomes of those who underwent catheter ablation using conventional manual navigation. Among 1,035 eligible patients, 287 patients in each group had similar propensity scores and were included in the analysis. The primary efficacy outcome was the rate of AF relapse after a 3-month blanking period. At a mean follow-up of 2.6 ± 1.5 years, AF ablation with MNS was associated with a similar risk of AF relapse as compared with manual navigation (18.4% per year and 22.3% per year, respectively; hazard ratio 0.81, 95% CI 0.63-1.05; P = 0.108). Major complications occurred in two patients (0.7%) using MNS, and in six patients (2.1%) undergoing manually navigated ablation (P = 0.286). Fluoroscopy times were 21 ± 10 minutes in the manual navigation group, and 12 ± 9 minutes in the MNS group (P < 0.001), whereas total procedure times were 152 ± 52 minutes and 213 ± 58 minutes, respectively (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this propensity-score matched comparison, magnetic navigation and conventional manual AF ablations seem to have similar relapse rates and a similar risk of complications. AF ablations with magnetic navigation take longer to perform but expose patients to significantly shorter fluoroscopy times.

Left atrial volume is more important than the type of atrial fibrillation in predicting the long-term success of catheter ablation.

BACKGROUND: The type of atrial fibrillation (AF) is the sole prognostic factor that affects the level of recommendation for catheter ablation in the current guidelines. Despite being recognized as a predictor of recurrence, relatively little emphasis is given to left atrium (LA) size. The aim of this study was to assess the relative importance of LA volume and type of AF as predictors of outcome after PVI. METHODS: We assessed 809 consecutive patients with symptomatic drug-refractory AF (584 male, mean age 57 ± 11 years) undergoing 905 percutaneous PVI procedures in two centers. LA volume was assessed by cardiac CT and/or electroanatomical mapping prior to AF ablation. The study endpoint was symptomatic and/or documented AF recurrence. RESULTS: The majority of patients (73.2%, n=592) had paroxysmal AF. The mean indexed LA volume was 55 ± 20 ml/m(2). During a follow-up of 2.4 ± 1.7 years, there were 280 recurrences. The relapse rate of patients with paroxysmal AF in the highest tertile of LA volume was higher than the relapse rate of patients with non-paroxysmal AF in the lowest tertile (20.0% vs. 10.9% per person-year, respectively, p=0.041). LA volume (HR 1.16 for each 10 ml/m(2), 95% CI 1.09-1.23, p<0.001), female gender (HR 1.55, 95% CI 1.19-2.03, p=0.001), and non-paroxysmal AF (HR 1.31, 95% CI 1.01-1.69, p=0.039) were the only independent predictors of AF recurrence. Split-sample cross-validation resampling confirmed LA volume as the strongest predictor of relapse after PVI. CONCLUSION: Left atrial volume seems to be more important than the type of atrial fibrillation in predicting the long-term success of pulmonary vein isolation.

Percutaneous coronary intervention of unprotected left main disease: five-year outcome of a single-center registry.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is increasingly used as a treatment option for unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA) lesions. We aimed to evaluate the long-term outcome of patients undergoing ULMCA PCI. METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively analyzed 95 consecutive patients (median EuroSCORE I 2.9 [IQR 1.4;6.1]) who underwent ULMCA PCI between 1999 and 2006, included in a single-center prospective registry. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) defined as all-cause death, myocardial infarction (MI) and target lesion revascularization (TLR) at five years. Forty patients (42.1%) were treated in the setting of acute coronary syndrome and 81 patients (85%) had at least one additional significant lesion (SYNTAX score 24.2±11.8). Single ULMCA PCI was performed in 33% (81.1% with drug-eluting stents) and complete functional revascularization was achieved in 79% of the patients. During the observation period, 20 patients died (21.1%), 6 (6.3%) had MI and 11 (11.6%) had TLR (total combined MACE 28.4%). Independent predictors of MACE were previous MI (HR 2.9 95% CI 1.23-6.92; p=0.015), hypertension (HR 5.7 95% CI 1.86-17.47; p=0.002) and the EuroSCORE I (HR 1.1 95% CI 1.03-1.12; p=0.001). Drug-eluting stent implantation was associated with a significantly lower MACE rate, even after propensity score adjustment (AUC=0.84; HR [corrected] 0.1; 95% CI 0.04-0.26; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Unprotected left main percutaneous coronary intervention, particularly using drug-eluting stents, can be considered a valid alternative to coronary artery bypass grafting, especially in high-risk surgical patients and with favorable anatomic features.