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Kreidieh O, Varley AL, Romero J, Singh D, Silverstein J, Thosani A, Varosy P, Hebsur S, Godfrey BE, Schrappe G, Justice L, Zei PC, Osorio J. Practice Patterns of Operators Participating in the Real-World Experience of Catheter Ablation for Treatment of Symptomatic Paroxysmal and Persistent Atrial Fibrillation (REAL-AF) Registry. J Interv Card Electrophysiol 2022; 65:429-440. [PMID: 35438393 DOI: 10.1007/s10840-022-01205-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Real-World Experience of Catheter Ablation for Treatment of Symptomatic Paroxysmal and Persistent Atrial Fibrillation (REAL-AF) is a multicenter prospective registry of atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. We sought to describe the baseline workflows of REAL-AF operators. METHODS REAL-AF enrolls high volume minimum fluoroscopy radiofrequency ablators. A 150 item questionnaire was administered to participating operators. Responses were analyzed using standard methods. RESULTS Forty-two respondents had a mean 178.2 ± 89.2 yearly AF ablations, with 42.4 ± 11.9% being paroxysmal (PAF). Most operators performed ablation with uninterrupted or minimally interrupted anticoagulation (66.7% and 28.6%). Left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombus was most commonly ruled out with transesophageal echocardiography (33.3% and 42.9% for PAF and persistent AF). Consistent with registry design, radiofrequency energy (92.1% ± 18.8% of cases) and zero fluoroscopy ablation (73.8% goal 0 fluoroscopy) were common. The majority of operators relied on index-guided ablation (90.5%); Mean Visitag surpoint targets were higher anteriorly vs posteriorly (508.3 ± 49.8 vs 392.3 ± 37.0, p < 0.01), but power was similar. There was considerable heterogeneity related to gaps in current knowledge, such as lesion delivery targets and sites of extra-pulmonary vein ablation (most common was the posterior wall followed by the roof). Peri-procedural risk factor management of obesity, hypertension, and sleep apnea was common. There was a mean of 3.0 ± 1.2 follow-up visits at 12 months. CONCLUSIONS REAL-AF operators were high volume low fluoroscopy "real world" operators with good follow-up and adherence to known best-practices. There was disagreement related to knowledge gaps in guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omar Kreidieh
- Brigham And Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 44 Washington Street, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Allyson L Varley
- Heart Rhythm Clinical and Research Solutions, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Jorge Romero
- Brigham And Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 44 Washington Street, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - David Singh
- Division of Cardiology, Queen's Medical Center, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | | | | | - Paul Varosy
- Division of Cardiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Shrinivas Hebsur
- Michigan Heart and Vascular Institute, St Mary Mercy Hospital, Livonia, MI, USA
| | | | - Gunther Schrappe
- Heart Rhythm Clinical and Research Solutions, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Linda Justice
- Heart Rhythm Clinical and Research Solutions, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Paul C Zei
- Brigham And Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 44 Washington Street, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Jose Osorio
- Arrhythmia Institute at Grandview Health, Birmingham, AL, USA
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