Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation reduces heart failure rehospitalization in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with heart failure (HF) rehospitalization in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Objective We tested the hypothesis that catheter ablation of AF could reduce HF rehospitalization compared with conventional pharmacotherapy in patients with HFpEF. Methods Eighty-five consecutive HFpEF (EF >= 50% and a history of HF hospitalization) patients diagnosed as AF by 12-lead electrocardiogram were retrospectively analyzed. Thirty-five patients who received catheter ablation (ABL group) were compared with 50 patients treated by antiarrhythmic drugs and/or beta-blockers (CNT group). The primary endpoint was rehospitalization due to HF. Results The patients characteristics did not differ between the two groups including, age (71 +/- 8 vs 71 +/- 13 years; P = .637), female sex (34% vs 36%; P = .870), mean plasma brain natriuretic peptide (145 +/- 112 vs 195 +/- 153 pg/mL; P = .111), mean left ventricular ejection fraction (62% +/- 8% vs 61% +/- 9%; P = .624), and type of AF (nonparoxysmal AF 60% vs 62%; P = .852). Amiodarone was continued 40% (14 out of 35) and 40% (20 out of 70) in ABL and CNT groups, respectively (P = 1.000). Neither major complication nor major side effect was observed during the follow-up period. During a mean follow-up period of 792 +/- 485 days, Kaplan-Meier curve analysis showed that significantly more patients in the ABL group were free from HF rehospitalization (log-rank P = .0039). Additionally, multivariate analysis revealed that catheter ablation of AF was the only preventive factor of HF rehospitalization (OR = 0.15; 95% CI: 0.04-0.46; P < .001). Conclusions Catheter ablation of AF reduced HF rehospitalization compared with conventional pharmacotherapy in patients with HFpEF in our institute. Multicenter randomized study is warranted to confirm the result.