One-stop strategy for treatment of atrial fibrillation:feasibility and safety of combining catheter ablation and left atrial appendage closure in a single procedure

Background:Catheter ablation is effective in restoring sinus rhythm and left atrial appendage closure(LAAC)is increasingly used for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation(AF).We aimed to observe the feasibility and safety of performing AF ablation and LAAC in a single(one-stop)procedure.Methods:Consecutive AF patients who underwent the combined procedure of AF ablation and LAAC with WATCHMAN device between March 2017 and September 2018 were prospectively enrolled.Baseline and intra-procedural parameters were evaluated.Three-month and subsequent 1-year follow-up were performed in all and earlier-enrolled subjects,respectively.Results:A total of 178 AF patients(94 males,68.9±8.1 years)underwent the one-stop procedure with CHA2DS2-VASc score 3.3±1.5 and HAS-BLED score 1.6±1.0,respectively.Pulmonary vein isolation was achieved in all patients while additional linear ablation was applied if the operator deemed necessary,yielding immediate ablation success rate of 98.9%(176/178).In the subsequent LAAC,satisfactory seal(residual leak<5 mm)was achieved in all patients.One stroke and four cardiac perforations occurred peri-operatively.At 3-month follow-up,sinus rhythm and satisfactory seal were maintained in 153/178(86.0%)and 178/178(100%)patients,respectively.One stroke and one delayed cardiac tamponade occurred,while no device-related thrombus or device migration was observed.During the 1-year follow-up for the earlier enrolled subjects,52/72(72.2%)of the patients maintained sinus rhythm.There was no stroke or systemic embolism observed.Conclusion:Combining catheter ablation and LAAC in a single procedure can be successfully and safely performed in non-valvular AF patients of Chinese population.

Value of Combining Left Atrial Diameter and Amino-terminal Pro-brain Natriuretic Peptide to the CHA2DS2-VASc Score for Predicting Stroke and Death in Patients with Sick Sinus Syndrome after Pacemaker Implantation

Background： The CHA2DS2-VASc score is used clinically for stroke risk stratification in patients with atrial fibrillation （AF）. We sought to investigate whether the CHA2DS2-VASc score predicts stroke and death in Chinese patients with sick sinus syndrome （SSS） after pacemaker implantation and to evaluate whether the predictive power of the CHA2DS2-VASc score could be improved by combining it with left atrial diameter （LAD） and amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide （NT-proBNP）. Methods： A total of 481 consecutive patients with SSS who underwent pacemaker implantation from January 2004 to December 2014 in our department were included. The CHA2DS2-VASc scores were retrospectively calculated according to the hospital medical records before pacemaker implantation. The outcome data （stroke and death） were collected by pacemaker follow-up visits and telephonic follow-up until December 3 l, 2015. Results： During 2151 person-years of follow-up, 46 patients （9.6%） suffered stroke and 52 （10.8%） died. The CHA2DS2-VASc score showed a significant association with the development of stroke （hazard ratio [HR] 1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.20-1.75, P 〈 0.00 1） and death （HR 1.45, 95% CI 1.22-1.71, P 〈 0.001）. The combination of increased LAD and the CHA2DS2-VASc score improved the predictive power for stroke （C-stat 0.69, 95% CI 0.61-4）.77 vs. C-stat 0.66, 95% CI 0.57-0.74, P = 0.013）, and the combination of increased NT-proBNP and the CHA2DS2-VASc score improved the predictive power for death （C-stat 0.70, 95% CI 0.64-0.77 vs. C-stat 0.67, 95% CI 0.60--0.75, P= 0.023）. Conclusions： CHA2DS2-VASc score is valuable for predicting stroke and death risk in patients with SSS after pacemaker implantation. The addition of LAD and NT-proBNP to the CHA2DS2-VASc score improved its predictive power for stroke and death, respectively, in this patient cohort. Future prospective studies are warranted to validate the benefit of adding LAD and NT-proBNP to the CHA2DS2-VASc score for predicting stroke and death risk in non-AF populations.

A technique for cardiac resynchronization therapy using left bundle branch area and left ventricular pacing

Cardiac resynchronization therapy(CRT)via biventricu-lar pacing(BVP)is known to improve clinical outcomes and decreases all-cause mortality,particularly in patients with left bundle branch block(LBBB)and reduced left ventricular(LV)function.[1]Recently,several groups have shown the feasibility of left bundle branch area pacing(LBBAP)as an alternative choice to His bundle pacing in patients with LBBB by pacing the left bundle branch(LBB)region beyond the block site with a stable threshold and a short QRS duration(QRSd).[2,3]However,it is unknown whether the clinical efficacy of LBBAP with an appropriate atrioventricular(AV)delay would be the same as or better than that of LV epicardial pacing or CRT.

Atrial Premature Contractions Arising from the Right Atrial Appendage

To the Editor：Atrial premature contractions （APCs） or atrial tachycardia （AT） is a common form of supraventricular （SV） arrhythmias.Arising from the right atrial appendage （RAA）,it usually responds well to radiofrequency （RF） ablation;however,successful ablation in this anatomic region can be challenging.Herein,we report a successful treatment of a case.