Catheter ablation may significantly improve cardiac and renal function among AF patients with mid-range ejection fraction

Written By : Aditi |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2023-08-11T20:00:28+05:30 | Updated On 11 Aug 2023 8:00 PM IST

Catheter ablation as an effective treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF), and it is currently the first-line treatment for AF. The efficacy of catheter ablation in patients with low cardiac function has been previously reported; however, only a few studies have included mid-range ejection fraction (mrEF).

A study published in Indian Pacing and Electrophysiology Journal On 27 June 2023, entitled “Efficacy and safety of atrial fibrillation ablation in heart failure patients with left ventricular ejection fraction less than 50%” by Sakamoto et al. and colleagues highlighted the effectiveness and safety of ablation in patients with a history of reduced left ventricular function including mid-range ejection fraction.

The present study included 79 patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction of less than 50%. These patients underwent catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation.

Mentioning the study background, they said previous data and research have already emphasized catheter ablation efficacy in those with low cardiac function. There needs to be more research and data on mid-range ejection fraction (MRF).

The main aim of this study was the evaluation of the efficacy and safety of atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation those having left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 50%.

The key highlights of this study are:

Postoperative sick sinus syndrome and inguinal hematoma were reported in one patient as complications.
Emphasizing efficacy, improvements were noted in echocardiographic data, blood test values, and diuretic use.
Following 60 months of follow-up, 86.1% of patients reported no AF recurrence.
There were nine heart failure hospitalizations 11.4%) and five all-cause deaths constituting 11.4 % and 6.3%, respectively.
There were no significant differences between the rEF and more groups.
Researchers reported no significant predictors of AF recurrence in preoperative patient characteristics.

They said Atrial fibrillation ablation is tied to improved cardiac and renal function in patients with LVEF <50%. It also has fewer complications, they noted.

The study's limitations include small sample size, lack of follow-ups and long-term monitoring.

BDS, MDS in Periodontics and Implantology

Dr. Aditi Yadav is a BDS, MDS in Periodontics and Implantology. She has a clinical experience of 5 years as a laser dental surgeon. She also has a Diploma in clinical research and pharmacovigilance and is a Certified data scientist. She is currently working as a content developer in e-health services. Dr. Yadav has a keen interest in Medical Journalism and is actively involved in Medical Research writing.

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751