Preserved left ventricular ejection fraction following atrioventricular junction ablation and pacing for atrial fibrillation.
BACKGROUND
Right ventricular apical (RVA) pacing creates ventricular dyssynchrony and may compromise left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The impact of RVA pacing in patients who have undergone atrioventricular junction (AVJ) ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) is unclear. We sought to determine whether RVA pacing after AVJ ablation for patients with AF compromises LVEF in the short- or long-term.


RESULTS
We studied 286 patients with AF who underwent AVJ ablation and RVA pacing at our institution between 1990 and 2002. Patients were stratified into a short-term follow-up group (LVEF reassessed by echocardiography within a year after AVJ ablation, n = 134) and a long-term group (LVEF reassessed after a year, n = 152). Among all 286 patients (mean follow-up 20 months), we observed no change in mean LVEF after AVJ ablation and RVA pacing (48% before vs. 48% after, P = 0.42). Short-term follow-up patients had a statistically significant improvement in mean LVEF (46% before vs. 49% after, P = 0.03), whereas there was no statistically significant change in mean LVEF in long-term follow-up patients (49% before vs. 48% after, P = 0.37). Only 9% of short-term patients, 15% of long-term patients, and 1% of patients with baseline LVEF <or= 40% experienced >or=10% absolute decrease in LVEF. Baseline LVEF > 40% was a multivariate predictor of LVEF decline.


CONCLUSIONS
RVA pacing after AVJ ablation does not compromise LVEF in the short- or long-term for the vast majority of patients. Better predictors are needed to help us select patients for biventricular pacing after AVJ ablation.
Chen
Lin
L
Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
Hodge
David
D
Jahangir
Arshad
A
Ozcan
Cevher
C
Trusty
Jane
J
Friedman
Paul
P
Rea
Robert
R
Bradley
David
D
Brady
Peter
P
Hammill
Stephen
S
Hayes
David
D
Shen
Win-Kuang
WK
D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D001283:Atrioventricular Node / Q000601:surgery*; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D013318:Stroke Volume; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000453:epidemiology*