Predictive value of the cardio‐ankle vascular index for recurrence of atrial fibrillation after catheter ablation

BACKGROUND: The predictive value of the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) for estimating the efficacy outcome of catheter ablation (CA) in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients is unclear. We aimed to examine the predictive performance of the CAVI for recurrences of atrial arrhythmias after CA. METHODS: We enrolled a total of 193 patients with AF (paroxysmal 126 and non-paroxysmal 67) who underwent initial CA procedures at our institute, and CAVI measurements were conducted between January 2016 and March 2017. We evaluated recurrences of atrial arrhythmias after the first CA procedure as a clinical outcome. The CAVI value was assessed and the enrolled patients were divided according to the optimal CAVI value cut-off point (9.5) in the atrial arrhythmia recurrence group. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 31.3 (17.5-43.0) months, 74 (32.5%; PaAF 41 and 49.3%; non-PaAF 33) patients had recurrences of atrial arrhythmias. The recurrence ratio of atrial arrhythmias was significantly higher in patients with a high CAVI (≥9.5) than those with a low CAVI (<9.5) (log rank test; p = 0.018). A univariate analysis showed the association between higher CAVI values and recurrences of atrial arrhythmias (p = 0.072). Multivariate analyses using a Cox proportional hazard model after adjusting for other clinical factors revealed that the CAVI value was determined to be a significant predictive factor of a recurrence of atrial arrhythmias after CA (Hazard ratio: 1.44, 95% confidence interval: 1.17-1.78, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The CAVI was significantly associated with a recurrence of atrial arrhythmias after CA in AF patients.