Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation in very young adults: a 5-year follow-up study

Catheter ablation is an established therapy for symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF). However, outcome data on catheter ablation for AF in young adults is scarce.

From 2005–2014, 85 consecutive young adults (mean age 31 ± 4 years; 69% men) with symptomatic paroxysmal AF (PAF, n = 52) and persistent (Pers) AF (n = 33) underwent pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) [±ablation of complex fractionated atrial electrograms/linear lesions in PVI non-responders] at our centre. Follow-up was based on outpatient visits including 24-h Holter-ECG at 3, 6 and, 12 months post ablation, and every 12 months thereafter. Recurrence was defined as any AF/atrial tachycardia episode >30s following a 3-month blanking period. Follow-up was available for 74/85 (87%) patients. After a median follow-up of 4.6 years (Q1: 2.6; Q3: 6.6) and a mean of 1.5 ± 0.6 (median 1, range 1-3) ablation procedures 84% [including 13% on previously ineffective antiarrhythmic drugs (AAD)] of patients were in stable SR. Single-procedural 1-year/5-year arrhythmia–free survival was 66% [95% confidence interval (CI): 56–78%]/44% (95% CI: 33–59%), respectively. Structural heart disease [SHD; hazard ratio (HR) 2.79 (95% CI 1.52–5.12), P = 0.001] and obesity [HR 1.10 (95% CI 1.00–1.21) per unit increase in body mass index >27 kg/m², P = 0.05] independently predicted AF recurrence. Major complications occurred in 6/122 (4.9%) procedures (PV stenosis in 3, cardiac tamponade in 1, stroke in 1, and arterial-venous fistula in 1).

In the majority of very young adults catheter ablation for AF is effective, and associated with an acceptable complication rate. SHD and obesity are predictors for AF recurrence in this population.