Impact of electrophysiological and pharmacological noninducibility following pulmonary vein isolation in patients with paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation

摘要

Background Two methods for testing inducibility of atrial fibrillation (AF)—atrial pacing and isoproterenol infusion—have been proposed to determine the endpoint of catheter ablation. However, the utility of the combination for testing electrophysiological inducibility (EPI) and pharmacological inducibility (PHI) is unclear. Methods After pulmonary vein isolation (PVI), inducibility of atrial tachyarrhythmia was assessed with the dual methods in 291 consecutive patients with AF (65% paroxysmal) undergoing initial catheter ablation. Results The incidence of EPI was significantly higher in patients with persistent AF than paroxysmal AF (32.0% vs 11.7%, respectively, P Conclusions Achieving neither EPI nor PHI following PVI was associated with favorable outcome in patients with persistent AF. The combination of tests may discriminate patients responsive to the PVI‐only strategy. Further selective approaches are necessary to improve outcome for inducible atrial tachyarrhythmia in patients with persistent AF.