Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the total population, and split on recurrence of AF during 6-month follow-up
| Characteristics | Total (N = 202) | No Recurrence of AF (N = 63) | Recurrence of AF (N = 139) | P-value (no recurrence vs. recurrence) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 64 ± 9 | 64 ± 10 | 64 ± 9 | 0.900 |
| Male sex | 117 (58%) | 36 (57%) | 81 (58%) | 0.880 |
| Total history AF (years) | 2.1 (0.5–4.4) | 1.9 (0.5–5.3) | 2.2 (0.6–4.5) | 0.574 |
| Heart failure | 69 (34%) | 21 (33%) | 48 (35%) | 0.868 |
| Hypertension | 101 (50%) | 40 (64%) | 61 (44%) | 0.010 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 19 (9%) | 8 (13%) | 11 (8%) | 0.304 |
| Coronary artery disease | 23 (11%) | 5 (8%) | 18 (13%) | 0.299 |
| Thrombo-embolic events | 22 (11%) | 9 (14%) | 13 (9%) | 0.297 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 11 (5%) | 3 (5%) | 8 (6%) | 0.773 |
| Number of comorbiditiesa | 2.3 ± 1.3 | 2.5 ± 1.3 | 2.3 ± 1.3 | 0.199 |
| CHA2DS2-VASc scoreb | 1.9 ± 1.3 | 2.2 ± 1.3 | 1.8 ± 1.3 | 0.030 |
| 0 | 25 (12%) | 4 (6%) | 21 (15%) | |
| 1 | 56 (28%) | 14 (22%) | 42 (30%) | |
| 2 | 60 (30%) | 25 (39%) | 35 (25%) | |
| 3 | 35 (17%) | 8 (12%) | 27 (19%) | |
| 4 | 18 (9%) | 7 (11%) | 11 (8%) | |
| 5 | 8 (4%) | 5 (8%) | 3 (2%) | |
| EHRA class | 0.143 | |||
| I | 22 (11%) | 9 (14%) | 13 (9%) | |
| IIa | 84 (42%) | 24 (38%) | 60 (43%) | |
| IIb | 78 (39%) | 28 (44%) | 50 (36%) | |
| III | 18 (9%) | 2 (3%) | 16 (12%) | |
| Height (cm) | 176 ± 10 | 176 ± 10 | 176 ± 11 | 0.873 |
| Weight (kg) | 86 ± 17 | 85 ± 15 | 86 ± 18 | 0.747 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 28 ± 5 | 28 ± 5 | 28 ± 5 | 0.956 |
| Obesity (BMI > 30) | 50 (25%) | 17 (27%) | 33 (24%) | 0.621 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 102 ± 13 | 103 ± 14 | 102 ± 13 | 0.692 |
| Blood pressure (mmHg) | ||||
| Systolic | 136 ± 18 | 135 ± 17 | 137 ± 19 | 0.458 |
| Diastolic | 81 ± 10 | 80 ± 11 | 81 ± 9 | 0.649 |
| NT-proBNP (pg/mL) | 50 (22–144) | 54 (27–123) | 48 (19–159) | 0.540 |
| Creatinine (µmol/L) | 82 (70–92) | 82 (70–92) | 82 (71–92) | 0.476 |
| eGFR (mL/min) | 80 (68–88) | 82 (68–91) | 79 (68–88) | 0.491 |
| Medications | ||||
| β-Blocker | 104 (52%) | 33 (52%) | 71 (51%)) | 0.864 |
| Verapamil/diltiazem | 31 (15%) | 9 (14%) | 22 (16%) | 0.778 |
| Class I antiarrhythmic drugs | 41 (20%) | 6 (10%) | 35 (25%) | 0.013 |
| Class III antiarrhythmic drugs | 11 (5%) | 3 (5%) | 8 (6%) | 1.000 |
| Digoxin | 2 (1%) | – | 2 (1.4%) | 0.339 |
| ACE-inhibitor | 43 (21%) | 18 (29%) | 25 (18%) | 0.089 |
| Angiotensin receptor blocker | 44 (22%) | 22 (35%) | 22 (16%) | 0.002 |
| Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist | 3 (2%) | – | 3 (2%) | 0.240 |
| Statin | 80 (40%) | 27 (43%) | 53 (38%) | 0.524 |
| Diuretic | 33 (16%) | 17 (26%) | 16 (12%) | 0.006 |
| Anticoagulant | 0.079 | |||
| Vitamin K antagonist | 33 (16%) | 11 (17%) | 22 (16%) | |
| NOAC | 114 (56%) | 40 (63%) | 74 (53%) | |
| Echocardiographic variables | ||||
| Left atrial volume (mL) | 69 ± 23 | 62 ± 20 | 72 ± 24 | 0.013 |
| Left atrial volume index (mL/m2) | 35 ± 12 | 31 ± 10 | 37 ± 12 | 0.002 |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction (%) | 58 (55–60) | 58 (55–60) | 58 (55–60) | 0.661 |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction <45% | 4 (2%) | 2 (3%) | 2 (1%) | 0.412 |
| Left ventricular mass (g) | 162 ± 47 | 156 ± 45 | 164 ± 47 | 0.417 |
| Left ventricular mass index (g/m2) | 79 ± 18 | 77 ± 17 | 80 ± 19 | 0.468 |
| Left ventricular hypertrophy | 8 (4%) | 2 (3%) | 6 (4%) | 0.700 |
| CT | ||||
| Calcium score (Agatston) | 31 (0–227) | 41 (0–262) | 26 (0–216) | 0.733 |
| Vascular assessment | ||||
| IMT–CCA (mm) | 0.72 (0.63–0.87) | 0.71 (0.62–0.88) | 0.73 (0.64–0.87) | 0.418 |
| IMT–all segments (mm) | 0.73 (0.62–0.90) | 0.70 (0.60–0.94) | 0.74 (0.63–0.87) | 0.835 |
| Pulse wave velocity (m/s) | 8.3 (7.3–9.7) | 8.6 (7.2–9.7) | 8.1 (7.3–9.7) | 0.382 |
A P-value is given for the difference between recurrence vs. no recurrence of AF.
Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation, number of patients (%), or median (interquartile range).
ACE, angiotensin-converting enzyme; AF, atrial fibrillation; BMI, body mass index; CT, computed tomography; eGFR estimated glomerular filtration rate; EHRA, European Heart Rhythm Association class for symptoms; IMT, intima media thickness; NOAC, novel oral anticoagulation; NT-pro BNP, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide.
The number of comorbidities was calculated by awarding points for hypertension, heart failure, age >65 years, diabetes mellitus; coronary artery disease, BMI > 25kg/m2, moderate or severe mitral valve regurgitation and kidney dysfunction (eGFR < 60).
The CHA2DS2-VASc score assesses thrombo-embolic risk. C, congestive heart failure/LV dysfunction, H, hypertension; A2, age ≥75 years; D, diabetes mellitus; S2, stroke/transient ischaemic attack/systemic embolism; V, vascular disease; A, age 65–74 years; Sc, sex category (female sex).