Abstract 14309: Does Obesity Affect the Long-Term Results of Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation?

Background: The presence of obesity in patients who underwent catheter ablation (CA) of atrial fibrillation (AF) is thought to be a predictor of poor outcomes. Methods: We studied the long-term success of CA of AF in patients with mild to severe obesity and followed them for recurrence of AF/atrial flutter (FL). Results: Of 185 patients (mean age: 60.3 ± 10.7 years, male: 75%), 24 (13%) patients had a normal body mass index (BMI < 25.0 kg/m 2 ), 53 (28.6%) patients were overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9 kg/m 2 ), 78 (42.2%) patients were obese (BMI 30.0-39.9 kg/m 2 ) and 30 (16.2%) had severe obesity (BMI > 40 kg/m 2 ). There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics including age, gender, race, left ventricular ejection fraction, and presence of hypertension, diabetes, and valvular disease. Number of ablations performed in the normal, overweight, obese, and severe obesity groups were 1.3 ± 0.5, 1.4 ± 0.6, 1.5 ± 0.6, and 1.5 ± 0.7, respectively. During a median (±1SE) follow-up of 5.23 ± 0.17 years, 79% in the normal BMI, 70% in overweight, 41% in obese, and 80% in severe obesity group were in sinus rhythm. There was no significant difference among all four groups regarding recurrence of AF/AFL (p=NS). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed no significant difference in time to recurrence of AF/AFL based on BMI. Conclusion: Severity of obesity does not predict recurrence of AF/AFL after CA during long-term follow-up.