title: Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation results in greater improvement in cardiac function in patients with low versus normal left ventricular ejection fraction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It is still unknown whether left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) might affect the magnitude of improvement after atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation on cardiac function in persistent or longstanding persistent AF (CAF) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed echocardiography in 35 patients with CAF before and after catheter ablation (CA). Patients were stratified by LVEF into two groups prior to CA-normal LVEF (≥50 % LVEF, N group, n = 24) and a low LVEF group (<50 % LVEF, L group, n = 11). Patients were followed at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after ablation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 15.8 ± 7.4 months follow-up, the L group showed greater improvement in LVEF and left atrial ejection fraction (LAEF; N group vs L group: LVEF difference (%), 5 ±8 vs 20± 13, p < 0.01; LAEF difference (%), 11 ± 12 vs 21 ± 10, p < 0.05). LA maximal volume and E/e' showed the same tendency after ablation, although the extent of improvement was not statistically significant. Both groups showed almost the same time course of improvement up to 2 years, although the L group showed earlier recovery in LVEF.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The greater improvement in several cardiac functions was seen in patients with greater LV dysfunction, after the CA for CAF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Cumhuriyet University Medical School, Sivas, Turkey.
authors.forename: Zekeriya
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kucukdurmaz
authors.forename: Ritsushi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Alim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Erdem
authors.forename: Ebru
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Golcuk
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tobiume
authors.forename: Takahiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagase
authors.forename: Yoshifumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Yoshie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsumura
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Komiyama
authors.forename: Shigeyuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020127:Recovery of Function; D013318:Stroke Volume; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014463:Ultrasonography; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000517:prevention & control*