Table 1.
Duration of AF, patient factors, and ECV procedural details
| Outcome | HR/OR (95% CI) | P Value | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AF vs atrial flutter | ECV of atrial flutter has a higher initial success rate and lower recurrence rate than those of AF | — | 0.009 | Ammash et al11 |
| AF duration | >6 months; risk for recurrence of AF | HR: 1.59 (1.22–2.07) | 0.001 | Toso et al3 |
| Shorter total duration of AF | OR: 0.92 (0.89–0.97) | <0.001 | Pisters et al4 | |
| AF duration (1‐day increase) | OR: 1.01 (1.00–1.03) | 0.04 | Marchese et al5 | |
| Duration of AF in weeks | OR: 0.9 (0.87–0.93) | <0.0001 | Soran et al12 | |
| Sex | Women have a higher risk of recurrence of AF after successful ECV | HR: 1.3 (1.0–1.6) | 0.04 | Gurevitz et al17 |
| Independent risk factor for AF recurrence within 30 days of ECV | OR: 1.23 (1.01–1.51) | 0.04 | Grönberg et al8 | |
| Age | >65 years | HR: 0.7 (0.5–0.99) | <0.05 | Boriani et al7 |
| Per year of advancing age | OR: 0.38 (0.97–0.99) | 0.004 | Pisters et al4 | |
| Per year of advancing age | OR: 1.03 (1.00–1.06) | 0.04 | Marchese et al5 | |
| Weight | Independent predictor for the success of cardioversion if <80 kg | OR: 2.3 (1.1–4.8) | <0.03 | Frick et al6 |
| Smoking status | Smoking women are significantly more likely to have AF recurrence than are nonsmoking women; no differences in smoking or nonsmoking males regarding recurrence of AF | HR: 1.71 (1.10–0.67) | 0.02 | Kinoshita et al19 |
| Number of shocks at ECV | ≥2 shocks for successful ECV have a higher long‐term recurrence of AF compared with those converting to SR with the first shock | OR: 2.05 (1.00–3.93) | 0.044 | Alla et al43 |
| Increasing number of ECVs associated with increased recurrence within 30 days | OR: 1.07 (1.05–1.09) | <0.001 | Grönberg et al8 | |
| ECV after ablation | High recurrence rates after ablation and cardioversion: success vs partial success vs failed ECV; time (<30 days vs >30 days) from atrial arrhythmia recurrence to cardioversion as independent predictor of maintenance of SR after a single ablation procedure | 16% vs 22% vs 62%, respectively | — | Chilukuri et al45 |
Abbreviations: AF, atrial fibrillation; CI, confidence interval; ECV, electrical cardioversion; HR, hazard ratio; OR, odds ratio; SR, sinus rhythm.