TABLE 1.
Baseline characteristics of patients with paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation undergoing catheter ablation.
| Variables | Paroxysmal AF (n = 660) |
Persistent AF (n = 394) |
||||||
| Overall (n = 660) | Pre COVID-19 era (n = 318) | COVID-19 era (n = 342) | P-value | Overall (n = 394) | Pre COVID-19 era (n = 135) | COVID-19 era (n = 259) | P-value | |
| Age, years | 60 (52–67) | 59 (51–66) | 61 (54–68) | 0.018 | 61 (53–67) | 58 (50–65) | 61 (55–68) | 0.001 |
| Female, n (%) | 179 (27.1) | 84 (26.4) | 95 (27.8) | 0.760 | 77 (19.5) | 27 (20.0) | 50 (19.3) | 0.975 |
| AF duration, months | 15 (7–36) | 14 (7–36) | 15 (7–36) | 0.628 | 20 (9–48) | 19 (9–47) | 20 (9–48) | 0.746 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 24.6 (22.9–26.7) | 24.5 (22.8–26.6) | 24.7 (23.1–26.7) | 0.562 | 25.3 (23.3–27.4) | 25.7 (23.7–27.5) | 25.2 (23.0–27.2) | 0.092 |
| CHA2DS2-VASc score | 1 (0–2) | 1 (0–2) | 1 (0–2) | 0.140 | 2 (1–2.75) | 2 (1–2) | 2 (1–3) | 0.019 |
| Comorbidities, n (%) | ||||||||
| Heart failure | 54 (8.2) | 22 (6.9) | 32 (9.4) | 0.317 | 102 (25.9) | 32 (23.7) | 70 (27.0) | 0.553 |
| Hypertension | 298 (45.2) | 150 (47.2) | 148 (43.3) | 0.354 | 208 (52.8) | 65 (48.1) | 143 (55.2) | 0.220 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 92 (13.9) | 47 (14.8) | 45 (13.2) | 0.625 | 75 (19.0) | 27 (20.0) | 48 (18.5) | 0.828 |
| Stroke | 53 (8.0) | 19 (6.0) | 34 (9.9) | 0.084 | 37 (9.4) | 10 (7.4) | 27 (10.4) | 0.428 |
| TIA | 6 (0.9) | 4 (1.3) | 2 (0.6) | 0.617 | 1 (0.3) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.4) | 1.000 |
| Vascular disease | 20 (3.0) | 10 (3.1) | 10 (2.9) | 1.000 | 24 (6.1) | 3 (2.2) | 21 (8.1) | 0.036 |
| Current drinking, n (%) | 158 (23.9) | 93 (29.2) | 65 (19.0) | 0.003 | 121 (30.7) | 46 (34.1) | 75 (29.0) | 0.352 |
| Total alcohol intake per week in current drinkers, g | 51.8 (17.7–148.9) | 64.8 (19.4–155.4) | 51.8 (15.5–103.6) | 0.155 | 77.7 (17.7–207.2) | 90.7 (24.2–207.2) | 77.7 (17.8–155.4) | 0.544 |
| Drinking frequency per week | 1.5 (0.9–2.5) | 1.5 (1.0–3.0) | 1.0 (0.8–2.0) | 0.190 | 2.0 (1.0–3.0) | 2.0 (1.0–3.5) | 1.5 (1.0–3.0) | 0.375 |
| AAD use prior to the ablation, n (%) | ||||||||
| Class Ic | 378 (57.3) | 189 (59.4) | 189 (55.3) | 0.316 | 158 (40.1) | 51 (37.8) | 107 (41.3) | 0.568 |
| Class III | 306 (46.4) | 142 (44.7) | 164 (48.0) | 0.441 | 264 (67.0) | 98 (72.6) | 166 (64.1) | 0.112 |
| Echocardiographic parameters | ||||||||
| LA dimension, mm | 39 (35–43) | 38 (35–43) | 39 (36–43) | 0.331 | 43 (39–46) | 44 (40–48) | 43 (39–45) | 0.011 |
| LV ejection fraction,% | 65 (61–69) | 65 (61–69) | 65 (62–69) | 0.448 | 62 (57–66) | 61 (56–65) | 62 (58–67) | 0.030 |
| E/Em | 9.1 (7.4–11.8) | 9.0 (7.2–11.1) | 9.3 (7.6–12.3) | 0.133 | 9.0 (7.3–11.5) | 8.4 (7.4–10.6) | 9.4 (7.4–12.0) | 0.009 |
| hsCRP, mg/dL | 0.60 (0.30–1.10) | 0.70 (0.40–1.37) | 0.50 (0.20–1.00) | < 0.001 | 0.70 (0.40–1.35) | 0.80 (0.60–1.72) | 0.60 (0.20–1.20) | < 0.001 |
| CPVI, n (%) | 660 (100.0) | 318 (100.0) | 342 (100.0) | 1.000 | 394 (100.0) | 135 (100.0) | 259 (100.0) | 1.000 |
| CTI, n (%) | 399 (60.5) | 206 (64.8) | 193 (56.4) | 0.035 | 256 (65.0) | 111 (82.2) | 145 (56.0) | < 0.001 |
| Follow-up duration, months | 11 (6–15) | 11 (7–15) | 12 (6–15) | 0.898 | 11 (6–15) | 11 (7–15) | 11 (6–14) | 0.609 |
Values are presented as median (interquartile range) or n (%).
AAD, antiarrhythmic drug; AF, atrial fibrillation; BMI, body mass index; CPVI, circumferential pulmonary vein isolation; CTI, cavotricuspid isthmus; E/Em, ratio of the peak mitral flow velocity of the early rapid filling to the early diastolic velocity of the mitral annulus; hsCRP, high sensitive C-reactive protein; LA, left atrium; LV, left ventricle; TIA, transient ischemic attack.