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Abstract Background Sleep apnea (SA) represents a risk for arrhythmia recurrence following catheter ablation (CA) of atrial fibrillation (AF). Continuous positive airway pressure therapy (CPAP) is the established standard treatment for moderate to severe SA. While CPAP exhibits promise in reducing AF recurrences post-CA, the evidence is not entirely consistent. The impact of CPAP for severe SA on very late recurrence post-CA of AF has not been elucidated. Methods This study employed a retrospective, single-center, observational design. Data were derived from SA screening tests routinely performed in patients scheduled for CA of AF in our facility. We defined severe SA as an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI)≥30 by a home sleep apnea test or polysomnography. After excluding patients already diagnosed with sleep apnea before CA, we enrolled 466 consecutive severe SA patients. We divided them into two groups according to whether they had more than 1-year usage of continuous positive airway pressure after CA (CPAP group) or not (non-CPAP group). CPAP usage was monitored through telemonitoring and regular follow-up visits at our outpatient clinic every three months. Very late AF recurrence was defined as AF recurrence more than 1-year after the index CA. Results The age was 65±10 years, 17.4% were females, and 60.3% had non-paroxysmal AF. The mean AHI was 38.0±15.2. The CPAP group included 33.7% (n=157) and non-CPAP group 66.3% (n=309). The AF recurrence rates within 1-year post-CA were similar between the two groups (CPAP group vs. non-CPAP group, 16.6% vs. 16.2%, log-rank p=0.91). However, the very late AF recurrence rate was lower in the CPAP group than non-CPAP group (CPAP group vs. non-CPAP group, 7.6% vs. 21.6%, log-rank p=0.0002). Conclusion Among the untreated severe sleep apnea patients at the time of the catheter ablation of AF, CPAP treatment during 1-year post-CA was associated with fewer AF recurrences beyond 1-year post-CA.KM curve according to CPAP group
Tanaka et al. (Wed,) studied this question.