Abstract 20503: Prevalence and Significance of Atrial Fibrillation in Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy

Background: Preliminary data suggest that Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) is common in patients with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) and present at a younger age than in controls. Whether AFib is also a marker of increased severity for ARVC has not been investigated. Objectives: 1)To assess the prevalence and the characteristics of AFib in a cohort of 267 ARVC patients without a previous cardiac arrest;2)To correlate the presence of AFib with structural abnormalities of the heart;3)To assess the role of AFib as risk factor for the occurrence of a first Life-Threatening Arrhythmic Event (LAE: sudden cardiac death, aborted cardiac arrest or syncopal ventricular tachycardia) and for cardiovascular death (CVD) in ARVC patients, during a median follow-up of 6 years. Methods: Consecutive ARVC patients. Clinical course determined with Kaplan-Meier method; predictors of LAE and CVD determined with Cox multivariable analysis. Results: Overall, 24/267 (9%)ARVC patients experienced ≥1 episodes of A...