Table 2.
Patients’ baseline characteristics according to persistent atrial fibrillation classification
| PeAF (n = 87) | Long-standing PeAF (n = 34) | Total patients (n = 121) | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 64.1 ± 9.7 | 65.5 ± 9.1 | 64.5 ± 9.5 | 0.52 |
| Male | 58 (66.7) | 26 (76.5) | 84 (69.4) | 0.38 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 29.1 ± 6.4 | 30.6 ± 5.1 | 29.6 ± 6.0 | 0.06 |
| Hypertension | 46 (52.8) | 24 (70.6) | 70 (57.8) | 0.10 |
| Dyslipidaemia | 25 (28.7) | 14 (41.2) | 39 (32.2) | 0.28 |
| Smoke history | 5 (5.71) | 1 (2.9) | 6 (5.0) | 0.67 |
| Type 2 diabetes | 13 (14.9) | 8 (23.5) | 21 (17.3) | 0.28 |
| LVEF > 55% | 66 (75.9) | 29 (85.3) | 95 (78.5) | 0.33 |
| LA diameter (mm) | 42.5 ± 6.0 | 46.1 ± 4.5 | 43.5 ± 5.8 | <0.01 |
| CHA2DS2-VASc score | 2.0 (1.0–3.0) | 2.0 (1.0–3.0) | 2.0 (1.0–3.0) | 0.88 |
| HAS-BLED score | 1.0 (0.0–2.0) | 1.0 (0.2–1.0) | 1.0 (0.0–2.0) | 0.35 |
| Longest AF episode (months) | 2.0 (1.0–2.0) | 16.0 (14.2–17.0) | 2.0 (1.0–13.0) | <0.01 |
| Time since diagnosis (months) | 8.0 (7.0–9.0) | 22.0 (21.0–24.0) | 9.0 (8.0–20.0) | <0.01 |
| Baseline Medications | ||||
| Beta-blocker | 31 (38.3) | 14 (43.8) | 45 (37.2) | 0.67 |
| Flecainide | 15 (17.2) | 6 (17.6) | 21 (17.4) | 0.99 |
| Propafenone | 2 (2.3) | 1 (2.9) | 3 (2.5) | 0.99 |
| Amiodarone | 42 (48.3) | 22 (64.7) | 64 (52.9) | 0.11 |
| Underlying cardiomyopathy | 0.64 | |||
| None | 55 (63.2) | 21 (61.8) | 76 (62.8) | |
| Hypertensive | 15 (17.6) | 4 (11.8) | 19 (15.7) | |
| Ischaemic | 4 (4.7) | 3 (8.8) | 7 (5.8) | |
| Valvular | 2 (2.4) | 2 (5.9) | 4 (3.3) | |
| Hypertrophic | 1 (1.2) | 1 (2.9) | 2 (1.7) | |
| Other | 9 (10.6) | 3 (8.8) | 12 (9.9) |
Results are reported as n (%) for categorical variables and median (interquartile range) or mean ± standard deviation for continuous variables. Statistically significant differences between the two groups are shown in bold (P < 0.05). BMI, body mass index; LA, left atrium; LVEF, left ventricle ejection fraction; PeAF, persistent atrial fibrillation; PVs, pulmonary veins.