Cryoballoon ablation of pulmonary veins for persistent atrial fibrillation: Results from the multicenter STOP Persistent AF trial
Why the study?
Pulmonary vein isolation is central to catheter ablation for symptomatic drug-refractory AF, but the safety and efficacy of cryoballoon catheter ablation needed evaluation in persistent AF.
Does pulmonary vein isolation using the cryoballoon catheter prevent atrial arrhythmias in patients with drug-refractory persistent atrial fibrillation?
Population
165 treated patients with drug-refractory persistent AF (<6 months duration)
Comparison
PVI-only cryoballoon ablation compared against prespecified performance goals
Design
Prospective, multicenter, single-arm trial
Follow-up
12 months
Authors
Discussion
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Member takes
Implication
Cryoballoon PVI met prespecified safety and efficacy goals in persistent AF; leaves open randomized comparisons to other strategies.
Structured PICO
Does pulmonary vein isolation using the cryoballoon catheter prevent atrial arrhythmias in patients with drug-refractory persistent atrial fibrillation?
P
Population
165 treated subjects (out of 186 enrolled) with drug-refractory persistent atrial fibrillation (continuous episodes <6 months), 70% male, mean age 65 ± 9 years, multinational (United States, Canada, and Japan).
I
Intervention
Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) using the cryoballoon catheter.
O
Outcome
12-month freedom from ≥30 seconds of atrial fibrillation (AF), atrial flutter (AFL), or atrial tachycardia (AT) after a 90-day blanking period.composite
Cryoballoon ablation is safe and effective for treating drug-refractory persistent atrial fibrillation with continuous episodes <6 months, achieving 54.8% freedom from atrial arrhythmias at 12 months.
Cite This Study
Su et al. (2020) studied this question.