Table 1.
Clinical characteristics
| Healthy individuals (n = 20) | Patients without recurrence of AF after RFA (n = 30) | Patients with recurrence of AF after RFA (n = 31) | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 54 ± 16 | 56 ± 10 | 55 ± 8 | 0.8 |
| Male, n (%) | 15 (75) | 23 (77) | 24 (77) | 1.0 |
| Heart rate (bpm) | 64 ± 10 | 57 ± 9 | 57 ± 11 | <0.05 |
| Height (cm) | 179 ± 9 | 180 ± 10 | 181 ± 9 | 0.8 |
| Weight (kg) | 74 ± 12 | 89 ± 13* | 91 ± 14* | <0.001 |
| BSA (m2) | 1.7 ± 0.6 | 2.1 ± 0.2* | 2.1 ± 0.2* | <0.001 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 23 ± 2 | 28 ± 4* | 28 ± 5* | <0.001 |
| Clinical characteristics in patients with and without recurrent AF after RFA | ||||
| Years with PAF | 6.3 ± 6.1 | 7.3 ± 6.4 | 0.6 | |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 10 (33) | 6 (19) | 0.2 | |
| SBP (mmHg) | 130 ± 16 | 128 ± 15 | 0.7 | |
| DBP (mmHg) | 79 ± 11 | 80 ± 10 | 0.8 | |
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 1 (3) | 2 (7) | 0.6 | |
| Coronary artery disease, n (%) | 0 (0) | 1 (3) | 0.3 | |
| Hypercholesterolemia, n (%) | 0 (0) | 2 (7) | 0.2 | |
| Smoking, n (%) | 5 (17) | 4 (13) | 0.7 | |
| CHA2DS2-VASC score for AF stroke risk27 | ||||
| Score 0, n (%) | 13 (43) | 17 (55) | 0.4 | |
| Score 1, n (%) | 10 (33) | 9 (29) | 0.7 | |
| Score 2, n (%) | 6 (20) | 4 (13) | 0.5 | |
| Score 3, n (%) | 1 (3) | 1 (3) | 1.0 | |
| Medication | ||||
| Beta blockers, n (%) | 16 (53) | 17 (55) | 0.9 | |
| Ca antagonist for frequency regulation, n (%) | 2 (7) | 5 (16) | 0.2 | |
| Flecainide, n (%) | 14 (47) | 17 (55) | 0.5 | |
| Sotalol, n (%) | 1 (3) | 1 (3) | 1.0 | |
| Amiodarone, n (%) | 3 (10) | 5 (16) | 0.5 | |
| Dronedarone, n (%) | 4 (13) | 4 (13) | 1.0 | |
| Warfarin, n (%) | 25 (83) | 30 (97) | 0.8 | |
| Dabigatran, n (%) | 3 (10) | 1 (3) | 0.3 | |
| Rivaroxaban, n (%) | 2 (7) | 0 (0) | 0.1 | |
| Acetylsalicylic acid, n (%) | 1 (3) | 1 (3) | 1.0 | |
| ACE inhibitors, n (%) | 0 (0) | 2 (7) | 0.2 | |
| AT II receptor antagonists, n (%) | 7 (23) | 2 (7) | 0.6 | |
| Anti-diabetic medication, n (%) | 1 (3) | 0 (0) | 0.3 | |
| Statins, n (%) | 9 (30) | 4 (13) | 0.1 | |
| Diuretics, n (%) | 7 (23) | 3 (10) | 0.2 | |
| Ca antagonist for hypertension, n (%) | 0 (0) | 1 (3) | 0.3 | |
Mean ± SD, numbers. Right column shows P-values for ANOVA and χ2 tests. Flags for significance are obtained from the post hoc pair-wise comparison using the Bonferroni correction when comparing the three groups.
ANOVA, analysis of variance; ACE, angiotensin-converting enzyme; AT, angiotensin; AF, atrial fibrillation; BMI, body mass index; BSA, body surface area; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; RFA, radiofrequency ablation; SBP, systolic blood pressure.
*P < 0.05 compared with healthy individuals.