Assessment of Bipolar Radiofrequency Ablation Combined with Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery for Management of Atrial Fibrillation in Cardiac Patients

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common problem in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). For AF ablation, bipolar radiofrequency ablation (BRA) achieves complete transmural ablation lines and reduces the risk of treatment failure. We analyzed the efficacy of BRA for sinus rhythm restoration in patients with AF undergoing CABG. METHODS: This prospective study included patients with permanent or paroxysmal AF scheduled to undergo BRA combined with CABG in our institution from May 2014 to June 2020. After discharge from hospital, all patients were seen every 6 months over 5 years to evaluate survival, sinus rhythm restoration, and New York Heart Association (NYHA) class. RESULTS: We enrolled 168 patients, 97 (57.7%) with permanent AF (group I) and 71 (42.3%) with paroxysmal AF (group II) at 60 months. We found that group II patients had better sinus rhythm restoration rates after BRA with CABG than group I patients (P = .005). Overall mortality at 60 months was significantly lower in group II patients (2 [2.8%]) than patients in group I (14 [14.4%]; P = .01). The survival rate was significantly higher in group II than in group I (94% versus 72%; P = .0003) as shown by Kaplan-Meier analysis. The 95% confidence interval of the Cox hazards survival regression ratio was significantly different between groups (0.1792 [0.04069 to 0.7896]; P = .006). Long-term AF (>3 years) before BRA with CABG and permanent AF type were identified as predictors of post-BRA recurrent AF (P = .0001 and P = .005, respectively). NYHA class improved significantly at 60 months compared with baseline (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: This study identified preoperative AF type and duration as predictors of the success of BRA combined with CABG.