BACKGROUND: Left atrial (LA) low-voltage areas (LVAs) are frequently observed in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and may predict AF recurrence after catheter ablation. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a clinical tool to identify LVAs that are associated with AF recurrence after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). METHODS: In a cohort of 238 patients, voltage maps were created during LA procedures. LVAs were defined as areas with electrogram amplitudes <0.5 mV. On the basis of regression analysis, predictors of LA substrate were identified. These parameters were used to establish a dedicated risk score (DR-FLASH score, based on diabetes mellitus, renal dysfunction, persistent form of AF, LA diameter >45 mm, age >65 years, female sex, and hypertension). This risk score was then prospectively validated in a multicenter cohort of 180 patients. The association of the score with long-term recurrence of atrial arrhythmias after circumferential PVI was tested in a retrospective cohort of 484 patients. RESULTS: The DR-FLASH score effectively identified LVA substrate (C statistic = 0.801, P < .001). In the prospective multicenter validation cohort, the predictive value of the DR-FLASH score was confirmed (C statistic = 0.767, P < .001). The probability for the presence of LA substrate increased by a factor of 2.2 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6-2.9, P < .001) with each point scored. Furthermore, the risk of AF recurrence after PVI increased by a factor of 1.3 (95% CI 1.1-1.5, P < .001) with every additional point and was almost 2 times higher in patients with a DR-FLASH score >3 (odds ratio 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.8, P = .026). CONCLUSION: The DR-FLASH score may be useful to identify patients who may require extensive substrate modification instead of PVI alone.
BACKGROUND: Left atrial (LA) low-voltage areas (LVAs) are frequently observed in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and may predict AF recurrence after catheter ablation. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a clinical tool to identify LVAs that are associated with AF recurrence after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). METHODS: In a cohort of 238 patients, voltage maps were created during LA procedures. LVAs were defined as areas with electrogram amplitudes <0.5 mV. On the basis of regression analysis, predictors of LA substrate were identified. These parameters were used to establish a dedicated risk score (DR-FLASH score, based on diabetes mellitus, renal dysfunction, persistent form of AF, LA diameter >45 mm, age >65 years, female sex, and hypertension). This risk score was then prospectively validated in a multicenter cohort of 180 patients. The association of the score with long-term recurrence of atrial arrhythmias after circumferential PVI was tested in a retrospective cohort of 484 patients. RESULTS: The DR-FLASH score effectively identified LVA substrate (C statistic = 0.801, P < .001). In the prospective multicenter validation cohort, the predictive value of the DR-FLASH score was confirmed (C statistic = 0.767, P < .001). The probability for the presence of LA substrate increased by a factor of 2.2 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6-2.9, P < .001) with each point scored. Furthermore, the risk of AF recurrence after PVI increased by a factor of 1.3 (95% CI 1.1-1.5, P < .001) with every additional point and was almost 2 times higher in patients with a DR-FLASH score >3 (odds ratio 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.8, P = .026). CONCLUSION: The DR-FLASH score may be useful to identify patients who may require extensive substrate modification instead of PVI alone.
Authors: Jens Cosedis Nielsen; Yenn-Jiang Lin; Marcio Jansen de Oliveira Figueiredo; Alireza Sepehri Shamloo; Alberto Alfie; Serge Boveda; Nikolaos Dagres; Dario Di Toro; Lee L Eckhardt; Kenneth Ellenbogen; Carina Hardy; Takanori Ikeda; Aparna Jaswal; Elizabeth Kaufman; Andrew Krahn; Kengo Kusano; Valentina Kutyifa; Han S Lim; Gregory Y H Lip; Santiago Nava-Townsend; Hui-Nam Pak; Gerardo Rodríguez Diez; William Sauer; Anil Saxena; Jesper Hastrup Svendsen; Diego Vanegas; Marmar Vaseghi; Arthur Wilde; T Jared Bunch; Alfred E Buxton; Gonzalo Calvimontes; Tze-Fan Chao; Lars Eckardt; Heidi Estner; Anne M Gillis; Rodrigo Isa; Josef Kautzner; Philippe Maury; Joshua D Moss; Gi-Byung Nam; Brian Olshansky; Luis Fernando Pava Molano; Mauricio Pimentel; Mukund Prabhu; Wendy S Tzou; Philipp Sommer; Janice Swampillai; Alejandro Vidal; Thomas Deneke; Gerhard Hindricks; Christophe Leclercq Journal: Europace Date: 2020-08-01 Impact factor: 5.214
Authors: Allan Bohm; Lubos Urban; Lubomira Tothova; Ljuba Bacharova; Peter Musil; Jan Kyselovic; Peter Michalek; Tomas Uher; Branislav Bezak; Peter Olejnik; Robert Hatala Journal: J Interv Card Electrophysiol Date: 2021-03-10 Impact factor: 1.900