Potpara, Tatjana S. (57216792589)Tatjana S. (57216792589)PotparaMujovic, Nebojsa (16234090000)Nebojsa (16234090000)MujovicSivasambu, Bhradeev (55556106000)Bhradeev (55556106000)SivasambuShantsila, Alena (35079373300)Alena (35079373300)ShantsilaMarinkovic, Milan (56160715300)Milan (56160715300)MarinkovicCalkins, Hugh (23473846800)Hugh (23473846800)CalkinsSpragg, David (6505911626)David (6505911626)SpraggLip, Gregory Y.H. (57216675273)Gregory Y.H. (57216675273)Lip2025-06-122025-06-122019https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcard.2018.08.018https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85051664815&doi=10.1016%2fj.ijcard.2018.08.018&partnerID=40&md5=a50a4a792847a64377be622a1ab303d3https://remedy.med.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/5675Background: Reliable identification of atrial fibrillation (AF) patients more likely to be AF-free long-term post-single catheter ablation (CA) would facilitate appropriate risk communication to patients. We validated the recently proposed MB-LATER score for prediction of late recurrences of AF (LRAF) post-CA. Methods: Patients who underwent CA for symptomatic AF refractory to ≥1 antiarrhythmic drugs at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, between March 2003 and December 2015, for whom ≥1-year post-CA follow-up data were available, were enrolled. Results: Of 226 patients (median age 58.5 years [IQR: 52.0–65.0], 163 males [72.1%], 142 [62.8%] with paroxysmal AF), LRAF occurred in 133 patients (58.8%) during a median 2-year follow-up (IQR: 1.1–4.1). The mean MB-LATER score was significantly higher in patients with versus those without LRAF (2.4 ± 1.2 vs. 1.9 ± 1.3, p = 0.002) and showed modest but significant predictive ability for LRAF (AUC: 0.62 [95% CI: 0.54–0.69], p = 0.003). A score cut-off value of >2 showed the best predictive ability for LRAF (70.4% [61.5–77.9]), with modest sensitivity (42.9% [34.3–51.7]) and specificity (74.2% [64.1–82.7]). Kaplan-Meyer survival free from AF was significantly better for patients with a MB-LATER score of ≤2 than for those with a score of >2 (log-rank p = 0.005). Conclusion: In our study, the MB-LATER score showed a significant but modest predictive ability for LRAF post-AF ablation. Further prospective validation is needed to better define the potential role of the MB-LATER score in patient selection and treatment decision-making post-AF ablation. © 2018AF recurrence post-ablationCatheter-ablation of AFMB-LATER scoreRisk assessment