Study Design
To better assess the relationship between AF ablation and postoperative HF, we first conducted a retrospective study of all patients undergoing AF ablation at St Vincent Hospital (Indianapolis, IN, USA) from March 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018. Medical records were examined to ascertain HF incidence in the 30-day postoperative period. International Classification of Disease, version 10 codes for clinical heart failure were used to ascertain the primary endpoint, which was gleaned from telephone encounters, office visits, emergency room visits, or hospitalizations (see supplement table 1).
After analysis of the retrospective cohort, we then designed a prospective, single center, cohort study examining 100 consecutive patients undergoing AF ablation at our institution from February 2019 to June 2019. Excluded patients were unable or unwilling to consent, could not have LAP successfully measured, or did not complete follow-up. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board and received proper ethical oversight. Informed consent was obtained from every subject because of the prospective nature of the study. No interventions were mandated by the study protocol based on the information obtained. Baseline characteristics and procedural data were collected at the time of the procedure via the electronic medical record and procedural reports. Patients were followed for a 30-day period. At the end of follow-up, each patient received a prespecified phone survey to assess for any clinical outcomes (see supplemental figure 1).