Ethanol Infusion of the Vein of Marshall in Catheter Ablation of Persistent Atrial Fibrillation in Patients with Mitral Valve Replacement.

Background: The effectiveness of ethanol infusion of the vein of Marshall (EIVOM) for persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with mitral valve replacement (MVR) remains to be determined.

Objectives: This study investigated the effectiveness and safety of EIVOM in catheter ablation of persistent AF in patients with MVR.

Methods: This is a retrospective case-control study.

Multicenter Practice of Non/Minimized Fluoroscopy Ablation for Paroxysmal AF in China: The PAF-ICE Trial.

Background: Intracardiac echocardiography (ICE)-guided non/minimized-fluoroscopy catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) has been reported, but its effectiveness and safety still lack multicenter evidence.

Objectives: The authors sought to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ICE-guided non/minimized-fluoroscopy catheter ablation compared with the traditional fluoroscopy-guided approach in patients with paroxysmal AF.

Methods: A total of 448 patients with paroxysmal AF, from 15 centers in China, were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to a non/minimized-fluoroscopy group (n = 223) and a traditional approach group (n = 225).

Impact of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitor on Recurrence After Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation in Patients With or Without Metabolic Syndrome.

Aims: The impact of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) on atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after catheter ablation is still inconclusive. Besides, their efficacy on AF recurrence stratified by metabolic syndrome (MetS) status remains unknown.

Methods: Patients with AF undergoing initial catheter ablation between January 2017 and December 2023 from the China-AF Registry were included.

Orthostatic Systolic Blood Pressure Elevation and Incident Atrial Fibrillation: Insights From the SPRINT Trial.

Exaggerated orthostatic changes in systolic blood pressure (SBP) were associated with adverse cardiovascular events. We aim to assess the association between orthostatic SBP changes and incident atrial fibrillation (AF). We performed a post hoc analysis of SPRINT (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial).

Impact of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor on recurrence and cardiovascular outcomes after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Background: The effect of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) on atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after catheter ablation in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains uncertain.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether SGLT2i treatment is associated with a reduced risk of AF recurrence after catheter ablation in patients with CKD.

Methods: From the prospective Chinese Atrial Fibrillation Registry, we identified 628 patients with AF and CKD undergoing initial catheter ablation from January 2019 to December 2023.

Catheter Ablation for Refractory Ventricular Tachycardia Early After Acute Myocardial Infarction: Management, electrophysiological characteristics and outcomes.

Background And Aims: Refractory ventricular tachycardia (VT) is a rare but lethal condition in the early phase of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Its intracardiac mechanism and role of catheter ablation is under-determined. The current study is to evaluate the feasibility and safety of catheter ablation for refractory ventricular tachycardia in early AMI.

Catheter Ablation for Ventricular Tachycardia in Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Electrophysiological Characteristics and Long-Term Outcomes.

Background: Studies on catheter ablation of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)- ventricular tachycardia (VT) are relatively limited and mainly focused on feasibility and safety, whereas the VT distribution and electrophysiological properties remain insufficiently characterized.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to detail the site-specific electrophysiological properties and ablation outcomes in HCM-VT.

Methods: A total of 32 patients with HCM-VT who underwent catheter ablation were included.

Impact of disease progression avoidance by catheter ablation on clinical outcomes in atrial fibrillation: Insights from the CABANA trial.

Background: Delaying disease progression by catheter ablation has been recognized in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF); however, its direct association with clinical outcome improvement remains unclear.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of catheter ablation on reducing AF progression and associations with outcomes.

Methods: The Catheter Ablation vs Antiarrhythmic Drug Therapy for Atrial Fibrillation (CABANA) trial compared the efficacy of catheter ablation with drug therapy in 2204 patients with AF.

Predictive value of sudden cardiac death risk stratification for outcomes of catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Background: Prediction models for sudden cardiac death (SCD) in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) incorporate factors that influence outcomes of catheter ablation (CA) of atrial fibrillation (AF).

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the outcomes of CA of AF in patients with HCM stratified by SCD risk.

Methods: Of the 23,904 patients who underwent CA of AF, 417 patients with HCM were screened.

Preventive percutaneous coronary intervention versus optimal medical therapy for vulnerable plaque: a meta-analysis.

Background: The effectiveness and safety of preventive percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on non-flow limiting vulnerable coronary plaque remain uncertain.

Objective: The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the impact of preventive PCI plus optimal medical therapy (OMT) in non-flow limiting vulnerable plaque on clinical outcomes compared with OMT alone.

Method: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science (WOS), and the Cochrane from inception date to October 2024 for relevant studies which compared OMT and PCI plus OMT for non-flow limiting vulnerable plaques.

Development and validation of risk stratification and shared decision-making tool for catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation in patients with heart failure: a multicentre cohort study.

Background: The coexistence of atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) presents a significant challenge in risk evaluation and treatment decision-making. This study aimed to develop a shared decision-making tool that aids in risk stratification and guides radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) decisions for patients with AF and HF.

Methods: In this multicentre cohort study, we derived a shared decision-making tool by applying unsupervised clustering and supervised learning models to data from the China-AF registry, collected from 31 hospitals between August 1, 2011, and December 31, 2022.

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and in-hospital bleeding in patients with atrial fibrillation: findings from CCC-AF project.

Background And Aims: Emerging evidence indicates a relationship between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and bleeding. However, data regarding the relationship between LDL-C levels and bleeding events in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) remain unfilled. This study is aimed to examine the relationship between LDL-C levels and the risk of in-hospital bleeding in patients with AF.

Screening cognitive impairment in patients with atrial fibrillation: A deep learning model based on retinal fundus photographs.

Background: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) have a higher risk of cognitive impairment (CI). However, complexity of CI diagnosis and lack of simple screening approaches limited early screening and intervention of CI in AF patients.

Objective: Our study aimed to develop deep learning models based on fundus photographs for easy screening of CI in AF patients.

Glutathione peroxidase 4 as a potential biomarker for atrial fibrosis and recurrence of atrial fibrillation.

Background: Atrial fibrosis mediates the development and maintenance of atrial fibrillation (AF). Glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) is a ferroptosis biomarker. Little is known about ferroptosis in AF or the relationship between GPX4 and atrial fibrosis.

Association between cardiometabolic comorbidity and mortality in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Background: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) often suffer from cardiometabolic comorbidities, but the impact of the type and number of cardiometabolic comorbidities on the prognosis of AF patients remain unclear.

Methods: From August 2011 to December 2018, 23,838 AF patients from the Chinese Atrial Fibrillation Registry (China-AF) Study were enrolled in this study. The all-cause and cardiovascular-cause mortality was described.

Impact of atrial remodeling on efficacy of catheter ablation in reducing cardiovascular risk in atrial fibrillation: Results from CABANA trial.

Background: The efficacy of catheter ablation in reducing major adverse events in atrial fibrillation (AF) is still inconclusive, warranting identification of clinical markers.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore whether the benefits of catheter ablation varied across different extents of atrial remodeling in the CABANA (Catheter Ablation vs Antiarrhythmic Drug Therapy for Atrial Fibrillation) trial.

Methods: The CABANA trial randomized 2204 participants with AF to catheter ablation or drug therapy.

Patterns of Postablation Recurrence and Adverse Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Atrial arrhythmia recurrence after atrial fibrillation (AF) catheter ablation is conventionally assessed as a binary end point. However, the prognostic value of recurrence patterns is less studied.

Methods And Results: This study included patients undergoing catheter ablation from the multicenter China Atrial Fibrillation Registry study (2011-2022).

Ablation characteristics associated with steam pops in ablation index-guided radiofrequency ablation of atrial fibrillation.

Aims: Steam pops present a significant concern during radiofrequency (RF) ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF). It is crucial to analyse the incidence and ablation characteristics associated with steam pops. This study aims to investigate the occurrence and potential predictors of steam pops.

Antiarrhythmic Drug Use in the Blanking Period After Re-Ablation and Recurrence in Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: The effectiveness of continuous anti-arrhythmic drugs (AAD) therapy during the 3-month blanking period following repeat catheter ablation to prevent atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence remains unclear. To evaluate the impact of continuous AAD therapy during the blanking period on AF recurrence in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) undergoing repeat ablation.

Methods: Patients with PAF who underwent repeat ablation from the China-AF Registry (2011-2022) were included in this study and categorized into two groups based on AAD use during the 3-month blanking period.

Sex-specific trends in the global burden and risk factors of atrial fibrillation and flutter from 1990 to 2021.

Significant sex disparities exist in the burden of atrial fibrillation and flutter. However, comprehensive and systematic analysis of its global trend by sex is scarce. The Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 was used as data source for analysis.

Iatrogenic aortic dissection during catheter ablation for ventricular arrhythmia.

Background: Attempted catheter manipulation through the retrograde aortic approach carries a risk of aortic dissection (AD) during catheter ablation.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the incidence, management, and outcomes of iatrogenic AD associated with ablation of ventricular arrhythmia (VA).

Methods: All patients who sustained iatrogenic AD during retrograde aortic VA ablation at 6 centers between January 1, 2011, and September 30, 2023, were prospectively identified.

Impact of insurance coverage for non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants on quality of care and care disparities in patients hospitalised with atrial fibrillation in tertiary hospitals in China: interrupted time series analysis.

Objective: To examine recent patterns regarding oral anticoagulant (OAC) use among patients hospitalised with atrial fibrillation (AF) and quantify the impact of insurance coverage for non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) on quality of care and care inequality regarding OAC use among hospitalised patients with AF.

Design: Interrupted time series analysis.

Setting: Hospitals in China.

Feasibility and Safety of Pulsed-Field Ablation for Persistent Atrial Fibrillation: A Prospective Study.

Introduction: Pulsed-field ablation (PFA) is a novel nonthermal ablation approach using rapid electrical pulses to cause cardiac cell apoptosis via electroporation. Our study aims to investigate the feasibility and safety of PFA for persistent atrial fibrillation (PeAF).

Methods: Thirty-two consecutive patients diagnosed with PeAF were enrolled in our study.