Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and is associated with renal function deterioration. The protective effects of catheter ablation (CA) of AF on renal function in patients with HCM remain unsolved. From 2009 to 2020, a total of 169 consecutive patients with HCM and AF (age 70 ± 12, 87 males) were retrospectively evaluated. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was evaluated at the study enrollment or 1 month before the CA and reevaluated 3 and 12 months later. In the 169 patients, 63 underwent CA of AF (ablation group), and the remaining 106 did not (control group). After propensity score matching, 45 pairs were matched. The baseline eGFR was similar between the 2 groups (p = 0.83). During a mean follow-up period of 34 ± 27 months, sinus rhythm was maintained in 36 patients (80%) after 1.7 ± 0.8 ablation procedures. The eGFR significantly decreased from baseline to 3 months (p <0.01) and from baseline to 1 year (p <0.01) in the control group, whereas the eGFR in the ablation group was maintained both from baseline to 3 months (p = 0.94) and from baseline to 1 year (p = 1.00) after the CA. The change in the eGFR between baseline and 12 months was significantly smaller in the ablation group than in the control group (p <0.01). After logistic regression analysis, CA of AF was the independent predictor of an improvement of eGFR (odds ratio 2.81, 95% confidence interval 1.08 to 7.36, p = 0.04). In conclusion, CA of AF had a protective effect on renal function in patients with HCM.
Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.