Pre Procedural Biomarkers Might Predict Recurrent Atrial Fibrillation After Catheter Ablation

Objectives: Estimation of serum levels of visfatin, adiponectin, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in patients had atrial fibrillation (AF) resistant to medical treatment and assigned to catheter ablation (CA) to evaluate these biomarkers as predictors for recurrent AF (RAF).

Patients & Methods: 117 patients; 26 patients had persistent and 91 patients had paroxysmal AF underwent had clinical and echographic evaluations and gave blood samples for ELISA estimation of serum levels of studied cytokines. CA was performed through isolation of all pulmonary veins according to the stepwise procedure of ablation. Patients were re-evaluated every three months till 12-m follow-up for post-procedural RAF.

Inclusion criteria

• Symptomatic paroxysmal or persistent AF that was resistant to medical acceptable daily dose therapy in patients who were free of exclusion criteria and accepted to sign the written fully informed consent to undergo CA and to give pre-procedural blood samples.

Exclusion criteria

• History of the presence of longstanding persistent or permanent AF,
• myocardial infarction, acute coronary syndrome (ACS),
• significant heart failure (NYHA3),
• dilated or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy,
• left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)< 35%, congenital pathologies,
• significant valvular heart disease,
• pulmonary embolism,
• venous thrombosis,
• intracardiac thrombus or inability to take warfarin or other oral anticoagulants,
• hepatic or renal insufficiency,
• acute inflammatory states (sepsis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in acute phase),
• cancer,
• autoimmune pathologies.