Browsing by Author "Kovačević, Vladan (57190845395)"

Background/Aim. Atrioventricular nodal (AV) reentry tachycardia (AVNRT) is the most common form of supraventricular tachycardia. Treatment of choice is a catheter-ablation of the slow pathway of the AV node. The aim of the study was to present the outcomes of this procedure after ten years of follow-up. Methods. The catheter-ablation procedure was performed in 92 patients (30 men and 62 women, mean age 52.0 ± 13.3 years, range 19 to 76 years) with confirmed AVNRT during the electrophysiological examination, from 2007 to 2009. Out of these, 64 patients were followed-up for ten years by inviting them to clinical examinations regularly. The occurrence of AV block, arrhythmia and the use of antyarrhythmic drugs were the main outcomes of the ten-year follow-up. Multivariate logistic regression was applied to identify significant predictors of arrhythmia after a follow-up period. Results. The primary success of intervention was achieved in 91 (98.9%) patients. Third-degree AV block was registered in 1 (1.1%) patient after the intervention, which required the implantation of a pacemaker. After ten years of follow-up, AVNRT relapses were not registered. A total of 7 out of 64 (10.9%) patients died during the follow-up period, mostly due to non-cardiac causes. After ten years of follow-up, first-degree AV block was registered in six (10.5%) patients, whereas other arrhythmias were observed in 17 (29.8%) patients such as atrial fibrillation or flutter, atrial premature beats and sinus tachycardia. The number of antiarrhythmic drugs were reduced from 2.1 ± 1.2 at baseline to 0.5 ± 0.6 during follow-up, mostly beta-blockers, propafenone and amiodarone, and 33 (57.9%) patients were no longer using anti-arrhythmic therapy. Logistic regression identified participant’s age above 55 years at baseline and re-intervention performed after the initial catheter-ablation as significant predictors of arrhythmia after a 10-year follow-up, independent from gender and arterial hypertension at baseline. Conclusion. The catheter-ablation of AVNRT represents a successful and safe procedure, from the perspective of ten-year follow-up. © 2020 Inst. Sci. inf., Univ. Defence in Belgrade. All rights reserved.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with the development and progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study evaluated the impact of long-term rhythm outcome after catheter ablation (CA) of AF on renal function. Methods and results: The study group included 169 consecutive patients (the mean age was 59.6 ± 10.1 years, 61.5% were males) who underwent their first CA of AF. Renal function was assessed by eGFR (using the CKD-EPI and MDRD formulas), and by creatinine clearance (using the Cockcroft–Gault formula) in each patient before and 5 years after index CA procedure. During the 5-year follow-up after CA, the late recurrence of atrial arrhythmia (LRAA) was documented in 62 patients (36.7%). The mean eGFR, regardless of which formula was used, significantly decreased at 5 years following CA in patients with LRAA (all p < 0.05). In the arrhythmia-free patients, the mean eGFR at 5 years post-CA remained stable (for the CKD-EPI formula: 78.7 ± 17.3 vs. 79.4 ± 17.4, p = 0.555) or even significantly improved (for the MDRD formula: 74.1 ± 17.0 vs. 77.4 ± 19.6, p = 0.029) compared with the baseline. In the multivariable analysis, the independent risk factors for rapid CKD progression (decline in eGFR > 5 mL/min/1.73 m2 per year) were the post-ablation LRAA occurrence (hazard ratio 3.36 [95% CI: 1.25–9.06], p = 0.016), female sex (3.05 [1.13–8.20], p = 0.027), vitamin K antagonists (3.32 [1.28–8.58], p = 0.013), or mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists’ use (3.28 [1.13–9.54], p = 0.029) after CA. Conclusions: LRAA after CA is associated with a significant decrease in eGFR, and it is an independent risk factor for rapid CKD progression. Conversely, eGFR in arrhythmia-free patients after CA remained stable or even improved significantly. © 2023 by the authors.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with the development and progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study evaluated the impact of long-term rhythm outcome after catheter ablation (CA) of AF on renal function. Methods and results: The study group included 169 consecutive patients (the mean age was 59.6 ± 10.1 years, 61.5% were males) who underwent their first CA of AF. Renal function was assessed by eGFR (using the CKD-EPI and MDRD formulas), and by creatinine clearance (using the Cockcroft–Gault formula) in each patient before and 5 years after index CA procedure. During the 5-year follow-up after CA, the late recurrence of atrial arrhythmia (LRAA) was documented in 62 patients (36.7%). The mean eGFR, regardless of which formula was used, significantly decreased at 5 years following CA in patients with LRAA (all p < 0.05). In the arrhythmia-free patients, the mean eGFR at 5 years post-CA remained stable (for the CKD-EPI formula: 78.7 ± 17.3 vs. 79.4 ± 17.4, p = 0.555) or even significantly improved (for the MDRD formula: 74.1 ± 17.0 vs. 77.4 ± 19.6, p = 0.029) compared with the baseline. In the multivariable analysis, the independent risk factors for rapid CKD progression (decline in eGFR > 5 mL/min/1.73 m2 per year) were the post-ablation LRAA occurrence (hazard ratio 3.36 [95% CI: 1.25–9.06], p = 0.016), female sex (3.05 [1.13–8.20], p = 0.027), vitamin K antagonists (3.32 [1.28–8.58], p = 0.013), or mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists’ use (3.28 [1.13–9.54], p = 0.029) after CA. Conclusions: LRAA after CA is associated with a significant decrease in eGFR, and it is an independent risk factor for rapid CKD progression. Conversely, eGFR in arrhythmia-free patients after CA remained stable or even improved significantly. © 2023 by the authors.

Introduction: Cardiac tamponade (CT) is a life-threatening complication of radiofrequency ablation (RFA). The course and outcome of CT in low-to-medium volume electrophysiology centers are underreported. Methods: We analyzed the incidence, management and outcomes of CT in 1500 consecutive RFAs performed in our center during 2011–2016. Results: Of 1500 RFAs performed in 1352 patients (age 55 years, interquartile range: 41–63), 569 were left-sided procedures (n = 406 with transseptal access). Conventional RFA or irrigated RFA was performed in 40.9% and 59.1% of procedures, respectively. Ablation was performed mostly for atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (25.4%), atrial fibrillation (AF; 18.5%), atrial flutter (18.4%), accessory pathway (16.5%) or idiopathic ventricular arrhythmia (VA; 12.3%), and rarely for structural VA (2.1%). CT occurred in 12 procedures (0.8%): 10 AF ablations, 1 idiopathic VA and 1 typical atrial flutter ablation. Factors significantly associated with CT were older age, pre-procedural oral anticoagulation, left-sided procedures, transseptal access, AF ablation, irrigated RFA and longer fluoroscopy time (on univariate analysis), and AF ablation (on multivariable analysis). The perforation site was located in the left atrium (n = 7), right atrium (n = 3), or in the left ventricle or coronary sinus (n = 1 each). Upon pericardiocentesis, two patients underwent urgent cardiac surgery because of continued bleeding. There was no fatal outcome. During the follow-up of 19 ± 14 months, eight patients were arrhythmia free. Conclusion: Incidence of RFA-related CT in our medium-volume center was low and significantly associated with AF ablation. The outcome of CT was mostly favorable after pericardiocentesis, but readily accessible cardiothoracic surgery back-up should be mandatory in RFA centers. © 2016, The Author(s).

Background: Late reconnections (LR) of pulmonary veins (PVs) after wide antral circumferential ablation (WACA) using point-to-point radiofrequency (RF) ablation are common. Lesion size index (LSI) is a novel marker of lesion quality proposed by Ensite Precision mapping system, expected to improve PV isolation durability. This study aimed to assess the durability of LSI-guided PVI and the risk factors for LR of PVs. Methods: The prospective study included 33 patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) who underwent (1) the index LSI-guided WACA procedure (with target LSI of 5.5-6.0 for anterior and 5.0-5.5 for posterior WACA segments) and (2) the 3-month protocol-mandated re-mapping procedure in all patients, irrespective of AF recurrence after the index procedure. Ablation parameters reported by Ensite mapping system were collected retrospectively. The inter-lesion distance (ILD) between all adjacent WACA lesions was calculated off-line. Association between index ablation parameters and the LRs of PVs at 3 months was analyzed. Results: The median patient age was 61 (IQR: 53–64) years and 55% of them were males. At index procedure, the first-pass WACA isolation rate was higher for the left PVs than the right PVs (64 vs. 33%, p = 0.014). In addition, a low acute reconnection rates were observed, as follows: in 12.1% of patients, in 6.1% of WACA circles, in 3.8% of WACA segments and in 4.5% of PVs. However, the 3-month remapping study revealed LR of PV in 63.6% of patients, 37.9% of WACA circles, 20.5% of WACA segments and 26.5% of PVs. The LRs were identified mostly along the left anterior WACA segment. Independent risk factors for the LR of WACA were left-sided WACA location (OR 3.216 [95%CI: 1.065–9.716], p = 0.038) and longer ILD (OR 1.256 [95%CI: 1.035–1.523] for each 1-mm increase, p = 0.021). The ILD of > 8.0 mm showed a predictive value for the LR of WACA, with the sensitivity of 84% and specificity of 46%. A single case of cardiac tamponade occurred following the re-mapping invasive procedure. No other complications were encountered. Conclusion: Although the LSI-guided PVI ensures a consistent PVI during the index procedure, LRs of PVs are still common. Besides the LSI, the PVI durability requires an optimal ILD between adjacent lesions, especially along the anterior lateral ridge. Copyright © 2023 Mujović, Marinković, Marković, Kocijančić, Kovačević, Vučićević, Mujović and Potpara.