Efficacy and feasibility of cryoballoon ablation for atrial fibrillation in patients with heart failure: A large-scale multicenter study

Introduction: Data are limited regarding outcomes of cryoballoon ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with heart failure (HF). This large-scale multicenter study aimed to evaluate the prognosis of patients with HF after cryoballoon ablation for AF.

Methods: Among 3655 patients undergoing cryoballoon ablation at 17 institutions, 549 patients (15%) (391 with paroxysmal AF and 158 with persistent AF) diagnosed with HF preoperatively were analyzed. Clinical endpoints were recurrence, mortality, and HF hospitalization after ablation.

Results: Most patients had a preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥ 50%. During a mean follow-up period of 25.7 months, recurrence, all-cause death, and HF hospitalization occurred in 29%, 4.0%, and 4.8%, respectively. Cardiac function on echocardiography and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels significantly improved postoperatively, and the effect was more pronounced in the nonrecurrence group. Major complications occurred in 33 patients (6.0%), but most complications were phrenic nerve palsy (3.6%). Although death and HF hospitalization occurred more frequently in patients with LVEF ≤ 40% (n = 73) and New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III-IV (n = 19) than other subgroups, the BNP levels, and LVEF significantly improved after ablation in all LVEF and NYHA class subgroups. High BNP levels, NHYA class, CHADS₂ score, and structural heart disease, but not postablation recurrence, independently predicted death, and HF hospitalization on multivariate analysis. The patients with tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy had better recovery of BNP levels and LVEF after ablation than those with structural heart disease.

Conclusions: Cryoballoon ablation for AF in HF patients is feasible and leads to significantly improved cardiac function.