Long-term Outcome of Cryoballoon Ablation in Korean Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: Real-World Experience From the Cryo Global Registry.

Background And Objectives: Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common atrial arrhythmia (AA), is an increasing healthcare burden in Korea. The objective of this sub-analysis of the Cryo Global Registry was to evaluate long-term efficacy, symptom burden, quality of life (QoL), and healthcare utilization outcomes and factors associated with AA recurrence in Korean patients treated with cryoballoon ablation (CBA).

Methods: Patients were treated and followed up according to local standard-of-care in 3 Korean hospitals.

Clinical characteristics of apixaban prescription in AF patients with single dose-reduction criterion: the ASPIRE (efficAcy and safety of aPixaban in rEal-world practice in Korean frail patients with atrial fibrillation) study.

Background: Data on off-label reduced dose risk among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who qualify for a single-dose reduction of apixaban is scarce.

Objectives: We prospectively assessed apixaban dosing and clinical characteristics in AF patients meeting a dose reduction criterion.

Methods: The multicentre, prospective cohort study, the efficAcy and Safety of aPixaban In REal-world practice in Korean frail patients with AF (ASPIRE), encompasses patients with AF who met the criteria for a single-dose reduction of apixaban and were given varying doses of apixaban, either the on-label standard dose or the off-label reduced dose.

Optimal Dose of Edoxaban for Very Elderly Atrial Fibrillation Patients at High Risk of Bleeding: The LEDIOS Registry.

Background And Objectives: Optimal anticoagulation in very elderly patients is challenging due to the high risk of anticoagulant-induced bleeding. The aim of this study was to assess outcomes of on-label reduced-dose edoxaban (30 mg) in very elderly patients who had additional risk factors for bleeding.

Methods: This was a multi-center, prospective, non-interventional observational study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of on-label reduced-dose edoxaban in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients 80 years of age or older and who had more than 1 risk factor for bleeding.

Comparison of High- and Low-Dose Rivaroxaban Regimens in Elderly East Asian Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: In the Rivaroxaban Once-daily oral direct factor Xa inhibition Compared with vitamin K antagonism for prevention of stroke and Embolism Trial in Atrial Fibrillation (ROCKET AF) trial, rivaroxaban 20 mg was the on-label dose, and the dose-reduction criterion for rivaroxaban was a creatinine clearance of < 50 mL/min. Some Asian countries are using reduced doses label according to the J-ROCKET AF trial. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of a high-dose rivaroxaban regimen (HDRR, 20/15 mg) and low-dose rivaroxaban regimen (LDRR, 15/10 mg) among elderly East Asian patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) in real-world practice.

Identification of concealed cardiomyopathy using next-generation sequencing-based genetic testing in Korean patients initially diagnosed with idiopathic ventricular fibrillation.

Aims: Idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (IVF) is a disease in which the cause of ventricular fibrillation cannot be identified despite comprehensive clinical evaluation. This study aimed to investigate the clinical yield and implications of genetic testing for IVF.

Methods And Results: This study was based on the multi-centre inherited arrhythmia syndrome registry in South Korea from 2014 to 2017.

Exercise capacity and risk of incident atrial fibrillation in healthy adults.

Background/aims: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia and is associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. It is important to identify and control the modifiable risk factors of AF. We aimed to examine the association of exercise capacity with the risk of incident AF within 3 years in healthy subjects.

Totally Thoracoscopic Ablation in Patients With Recurrent Atrial Fibrillation After Catheter Ablation.

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of totally thoracoscopic ablation (TTA) in patients with recurrent atrial fibrillation (AF) after radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA).

Methods: From February 2012 to May 2020, 460 patients who underwent TTA were classified into two groups: CA (presence of RFCA history, n = 74) and nCA groups (absence of RFCA history, n = 386). Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analyses were used to adjust for confounders.

Non-Invasive Risk Assessment and Prediction of Mortality in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery.

Heart rate turbulence (HRT) and T-wave alternans (TWA), non-invasive markers of cardiac autonomic dysfunction, and ventricular repolarization abnormality, reportedly, predict the risk of cardiovascular death after myocardial infarction. We investigated whether pre-operative assessment of HRT and/or TWA could predict long-term mortality following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. From May 2010 to December 2017, patients undergoing elective CABG and receiving 24 h ambulatory electrocardiogram monitoring 1 to 5 days prior to CABG surgery were prospectively enrolled.

A Comparative Study of Thoracoscopic Left Atrial Appendage Clipping vs Stapled Resection.

Background: The left atrial appendage (LAA) is the predominant site of thrombus formation in atrial fibrillation (AF), which is associated with ischemic stroke. This study comparatively evaluated the complete LAA closure rates between LAA clipping and stapled resections.

Methods: The study included 333 patients who underwent thoracoscopic operation with both preoperative and postoperative computed tomographic scans.

Association of right bundle branch block or intraventricular conduction delay with recurrence of atrial fibrillation after catheter ablation.

Background: The association between bundle branch block (BBB) and recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) after catheter ablation is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine whether AF combined with BBB is associated with AF recurrence after catheter ablation.

Methods: A total of 477 consecutive AF patients who underwent catheter ablation were included.

Clinical and Genetic Features of Korean Inherited Arrhythmia Probands.

Background And Objectives: Inherited arrhythmia (IA) is a more common cause of sudden cardiac death in Asian population, but little is known about the genetic background of Asian IA probands. We aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and analyze the genetic underpinnings of IA in a Korean cohort.

Methods: This study was conducted in a multicenter cohort of the Korean IA Registry from 2014 to 2017.

Comparison of propofol vs. remimazolam on emergence profiles after general anesthesia: A randomized clinical trial.

Study Objective: The emergence profiles in patients undergoing total intravenous anesthesia with either propofol or remimazolam with flumazenil reversal were compared.

Design: A prospective, double-blind, randomized trial.

Setting: An operating room and a post-anesthesia care unit (PACU).

Regional variations in patient selection and procedural characteristics for cryoballoon ablation of atrial fibrillation in the cryo global registry.

Background: Cryoballoon ablation is a well-established anatomical approach for pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Although widely adopted, regional variations in standards of care have not been well characterized.

Methods: Patients with AF were enrolled in the Cryo Global Registry (NCT02752737) from May 2016 to Sept 2021 at 128 sites in 37 countries and treated with cryoballoon ablation according to local clinical practice.

Long-term outcome of thoracoscopic ablation and radiofrequency catheter ablation for persistent atrial fibrillation as a de novo procedure.

Aims: Limited data are available regarding the efficacy of thoracoscopic ablation as the first procedure for persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). We sought to compare the long-term efficacy of thoracoscopic ablation vs. radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation as the first procedure for persistent AF.

Comparing the Efficacy of Carvedilol and Flecainide on the Treatment of Idiopathic Premature Ventricular Complexes from Ventricular Outflow Tract: A Multicenter, Randomized, Open-Label Pilot Study.

The mechanism of premature ventricular complexes (PVC) occurring in the ventricular outflow tract (OT) is related to an intracellular calcium overload and delayed afterdepolarizations that lead to triggered activity. The guidelines recommend using beta-blockers and flecainide for idiopathic PVCs, but they also acknowledge the limited evidence supporting this recommendation. We conducted a multicenter, randomized, open-label pilot study comparing the effect of carvedilol and flecainide on OT PVC, which are widely used to treat this arrhythmia.

Comparison of Early Complications of Oral Anticoagulants after Totally Thoracoscopic Ablation: Warfarin versus Non-vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia. Totally thoracoscopic ablation (TTA) is a surgical treatment showing a high success rate as a hybrid procedure with radiofrequency catheter ablation to control AF. This study compared the early complications of warfarin and non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in patients who underwent TTA.

The higher recurrence rate after catheter ablation in younger patients with atrial fibrillation suggesting different pathophysiology.

Background: Young atrial fibrillation (AF) patients have been underrepresented in studies of radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) and the outcome of RFCA has not been widely addressed. We investigated age-related differences in clinical features, the recurrence of atrial tachyarrhythmia, and its predictors of patients who underwent RFCA for AF.

Methods: This is a multicenter prospective study of 2799 patients who underwent RFCA for AF in 2017-2020.

Outcomes of On-Label Reduced-Dose Edoxaban in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: The LEDIOS Registry.

Background: Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are effective in preventing thromboembolisms and reduce the risk of bleeding compared with warfarin. There are few reports on the outcomes of on-label reduced-dose NOACs. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of on-label reduced-dose edoxaban in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).

Impact of first-line cryoablation for atrial fibrillation on healthcare utilization, arrhythmia disease burden and efficacy outcomes: real-world evidence from the Cryo Global Registry.

Background: Cryoballoon ablation (CBA) is an effective first-line treatment for symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF), as recently demonstrated by three randomized trials. This sub-analysis of the Cryo Global Registry aims to examine current clinical practices of first-line CBA.

Methods: AF patients treated with first-line CBA were compared to CBA in antiarrhythmic drug (AAD)-refractory patients at 12 months.

Cryoballoon Catheter Ablation in Korean Patients With Paroxysmal and Persistent Atrial Fibrillation: One Year Outcome From the Cryo Global Registry.

Background And Objectives: Cryoballoon catheter ablation for the treatment of patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF) has been adopted globally, but there are limited multicenter reports of 12-month outcomes in the Korean patient population. This analysis evaluated the clinical performance and safety of cryoballoon ablation (CBA) according to standard-of-care practices in Korea.

Methods: This evaluation of Korean patients with AF was conducted within the larger Cryo Global Registry, which is a prospective, multicenter, post-market registry.