Catheter ablation of typical atrial flutter in severe pulmonary hypertension.
BACKGROUND
Radiofrequency ablation is first-line therapy for atrial flutter (AFL). There are no studies of ablation in patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).


METHODS
Consecutive patients with severe PAH (systolic pulmonary artery pressure >60 mmHg) and AFL referred for ablation were evaluated. Patients with complex congenital heart disease were excluded.


RESULTS
A total of 14 AFL ablation procedures were undertaken in 12 patients. A total of 75% of patients were female; mean age 49 ± 12 years. SPAP prior to ablation was 99 ± 35 mmHg. Baseline 6-minute walk distance was 295 ± 118 m. ECG demonstrated a typical AFL pattern in only 42% of cases. Baseline AFL cycle length was longer in PAH patients compared to controls (295 ± 53 ms vs 252 ± 35 ms, P = 0.006). Cavotricuspid isthmus dependence was verified in 86% of cases. Acute success was obtained in 86% of procedures. SPAP decreased from 114 ± 44 mmHg to 82 ± 38 mmHg after ablation (P = 0.004). BNP levels were lower postablation (787 ± 832 pg/mL vs 522 ± 745 pg/mL, P = 0.02). Complications were seen in 14%. A total of 80% (8/10) of patients were free of AFL at 3 months; 75% (6/8) at 1 year.


CONCLUSIONS
Ablation of AFL in severe PAH patients is feasible, with good short- and intermediate-term success rates. The ECG pattern is not a reliable marker of isthmus dependence. The SPAP and BNP levels may decrease postablation. AFL may be a marker of poor outcomes in patients with PAH with a 1-year mortality rate of 42% in this study. This rate is higher than expected in the general PAH population.
UCLA Cardiac Arrhythmia Center, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095-1679, USA. JBradfield@mednet.ucla.edu
Jason
J
Bradfield
Shelley
S
Shapiro
William
W
Finch
Roderick
R
Tung
Noel G
NG
Boyle
Eric
E
Buch
Nilesh
N
Mathuria
Ravi
R
Mandapati
Kalyanam
K
Shivkumar
Malcolm
M
Bersohn
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D062186:Arterial Pressure; D001282:Atrial Flutter / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000009:adverse effects; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004562:Electrocardiography; D022062:Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac; D005080:Exercise Test; D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D065627:Familial Primary Pulmonary Hypertension; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000503:physiopathology; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D015415:Biomarkers; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain