Usefulness of intracardiac Doppler assessment of left atrial function immediately post-pulmonary vein antrum isolation to predict short-term recurrence of atrial fibrillation

Doppler assessments of pulmonary venous (PV) and left atrial appendage flows are useful surrogates of left atrial (LA) function, but it is unknown if these can predict atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after pulmonary vein antrum isolation. We compared Doppler surrogates of LA function immediately after pulmonary vein antrum isolation in patients with AF recurrence versus matched patients without recurrence. Patients with a 6-month recurrence had significantly lower LA appendage peak emptying velocity (19 +/- 10 vs 29 +/-11 cm/s) and lower peak PV systolic wave velocity (36 +/- 17 vs 46 +/- 22 cm/s) compared with those without, suggesting that intracardiac Doppler assessment of LA function after AF ablation predicts AF recurrence. (C) 2004 by Excerpta Medica, Inc.