PVRI plus FIRM-guided ablation yielded a lower rate of freedom from atrial fibrillation compared to PVRI alone in patients with recurrent AF and PV reconnection (33.3% vs 55.6%; P=0.049).
Cohort (n=84)
No
Does PVRI plus FIRM-guided ablation improve freedom from atrial fibrillation in patients with recurrent AF and PV reconnection compared to PVRI alone?
In patients undergoing repeat ablation for recurrent AF with PV reconnection, the addition of FIRM-guided ablation to PV reisolation did not improve, and was associated with a lower rate of, freedom from atrial fibrillation compared to PV reisolation alone.
Absolute Event Rate: 33.3% vs 55.6%
p-value: p=0.049
INTRODUCTION: Focal impulse and rotor modulation (FIRM) ablation can be used to target nonpulmonary vein (PV) sources of atrial fibrillation (AF). No published studies have compared freedom from atrial fibrillation (FFAF) after pulmonary vein reisolation (PVRI) plus FIRM to PVRI alone in patients with reconnected PVs undergoing repeat ablation. METHODS: A 3:1 matched retrospective cohort study was performed on 21 patients with recurrent AF and PV reconnection who underwent PVRI plus FIRM-guided ablation and 63 patients with recurrent AF treated with PVRI alone at a single institution. All patients in the PVRI-alone cohort had cryoballoon PVRI at the time of repeat ablation without additional lesion sets for AF. Cases were matched based on the type of AF (paroxysmal vs nonparoxysmal), left atrial diameter (±4 mm), left ventricular ejection fraction (±10%), duration of AF (±18 months), and age (±5 years). The primary endpoint was FFAF after a 3-month blanking period. RESULTS: Out of 53 total FIRM cases performed at Northwestern Memorial Hospital between 2015 and 2017, 21 patients had PVRI plus FIRM for recurrent AF with PV reconnection. These patients had an average of 3.3 ± 2.1 rotors (60% left atrial) ablated. Over a median follow-up time of 24.7 months (interquartile range, 13-36 months), patients in the PVRI-alone cohort demonstrated a higher rate of FFAF (n = 35; 55.6%) than patients in the PVRI plus FIRM-guided ablation cohort (n = 7; 33.3%) (logrank P = .049). CONCLUSION: In patients undergoing repeat ablation for AF with PV reconnection, PVRI plus FIRM did not increase FFAF compared to PVRI alone.
Peigh et al. (Mon,) conducted a cohort in recurrent atrial fibrillation with pulmonary vein reconnection (n=84). Pulmonary vein reisolation (PVRI) plus FIRM-guided ablation vs. PVRI alone was evaluated on freedom from atrial fibrillation (FFAF) after a 3-month blanking period (p=0.049). PVRI plus FIRM-guided ablation yielded a lower rate of freedom from atrial fibrillation compared to PVRI alone in patients with recurrent AF and PV reconnection (33.3% vs 55.6%; P=0.049).