Efficacy and safety of renal denervation in addition to pulmonary vein isolation for atrial fibrillation and hypertension—Systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

Introduction This systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to assess the latest evidence on the use of renal denervation (RDN) + pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) compared to PVI alone for treating atrial fibrillation (AF) with hypertension. Methods A systematic literature search from several electronic databases was performed up until January 2020. The primary outcome was AF recurrence defined as AF/atrial flutter (AFL)/atrial tachycardia (AT) ≥30 seconds at 12‐month follow‐up and the secondary outcome was procedure‐related complications. Results There were 568 subjects from five studies. AF recurrence was 90/280 (32.1%) in the RDN + PVI group and 142/274 (51.8%) in the PVI group. RDN + PVI was associated with a lower incidence of AF recurrence (RR 0.62 [0.51, 076], P < .001; I 2 : 0%). Pooled analysis of HR showed that RDN + PVI was associated with reduced AF recurrence (HR 0.51 [0.38, 0.70], P < .001; I 2 : 0%). Complications were 7/241 (2.9%) in the RDN + PVI group and 8/237 (3.4%) in the PVI group. The rate of complications between the groups was similar (RR 0.87 [0.33, 2.29], P = .77; I 2 : 0%). In the subgroup analysis of paroxysmal AF, RDN + PVI was shown to reduce AF recurrence (RR 0.64 [0.49, 0.82], P < .001; I 2 : 0% and HR 0.56 [0.38, 0.82], P = .003; I 2 : 0%) compared to PVI alone. RDN + PVI has a moderate certainty of evidence in the reducing AF recurrence with an absolute reduction of 197 fewer per 1000 (from 254 fewer to 124 fewer). Conclusion RDN in addition to PVI, is associated with reduced 12‐month AF recurrence and similar procedure‐related complications compared to PVI alone.