Photo Credit: Aleksandr Zyablitskiy

The following is a summary of “Impact of Ablation on AF burden and symptoms in HCM,” published in the October 2024 issue of Cardiology by Ahluwalia et al.  

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is a common issue for people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), often leading to bothersome symptoms.   

Researchers conducted a retrospective study assessing the effectiveness of AF catheter ablation in reducing AF burden and improving symptoms in patients with HCM.  

They created a multicenter registry to enroll patients with HCM who had cardiac implantable electronic devices and underwent catheter ablation for AF from 2017 to 2021, tracking AF recurrence and burden 12 months before and after the procedure. Odds ratios were provided with 95% CIs, and the significance level for all tests was set at α<0.05.  

The results showed that 81 patients with HCM underwent catheter ablation for AF, with follow-ups lasting at least 1 year (median 35 [IQR: 23-50] months). Prior to the procedure, AF was paroxysmal in 38 patients (46.9%), and the AF burden was 27.0% (Q1-Q3 range, 3.0% to 99.0%). Within a year, 35 patients (43.2%) experienced a recurrence of AF/atrial tachycardia. After ablation, the burden dropped to 0.5% (Q1-Q3 range, 0.0% to 11.1%) (P=0.001), showing a 95% CI reduction of 13.8% to 100%. Patients with recurrence saw a burden reduction of –33.7% (Q1-Q3 range, -88.9% to –13.8%) (P<0.001), with 20 (57.1%) patients reporting symptomatic improvement of ≥1 European Heart Rhythm Association class. The decrease in AF burden was linked to a decrease in symptoms (r = -0.67; P<0.001).  

Investigators concluded that catheter ablation significantly reduced AF burden and improved symptoms in patients with HCM, showcasing its effectiveness in improving their overall quality of life.  

Source: acc.org/Latest-in-Cardiology/Journal-Scans/2024/10/23/17/43/impact-of-catheter-ablation