Supervised Obesity Reduction Trial for AF ablation patients: results from the SORT-AF trial.

Aims: Weight management seems to be beneficial for obese atrial fibrillation (AF) patients; however, randomized data are sparse. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the influence of weight reduction on AF ablation outcomes.

Methods And Results: SORT-AF is an investigator-sponsored, prospective, randomized, multicentre, and clinical trial.

Advanced mapping strategies for ablation therapy in adults with congenital heart disease.

Background: Ultra-high density mapping (HDM) is a promising tool in the treatment of patients with complex arrhythmias. In adults with congenital heart disease (CHD), rhythm disorders are among the most common complications but catheter ablation can be challenging due to heterogenous anatomy and complex arrhythmogenic substrates. Here, we describe our initial experience using HDM in conjunction with novel automated annotation algorithms in patients with moderate to great CHD complexity.

Respiratory sinus arrhythmia is reduced after pulmonary vein isolation in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Introduction: Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) describes heart rate (HR) changes in synchrony with respiration. It is relevant for exercise capacity and mechanistically linked with the cardiac autonomic nervous system. After pulmonary vein isolation (PVI), the current therapy of choice for patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF), the cardiac vagal tone is often diminished.

Influence of energy source on early atrial fibrillation recurrences: a comparison of cryoballoon vs. radiofrequency current energy ablation with the endpoint of unexcitability in pulmonary vein isolation.

Introduction: Comparative data of early recurrence rates of atrial fibrillation (ERAF) following second-generation cryoballoon (CB-G2) and radiofrequency current (RFC) ablation for pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in paroxysmal AF (PAF) are rare. We randomized PAF patients into either PVI with CB-G2 (group 1) or PVI with a combined RFC-approach applying contact force (CF) with the endpoint of unexcitability (group 2) to investigate ERAF.

Methods And Results: In group 1 (n = 30), CB-G2-PVI was performed.