Fig. 1: Patient flow.
From: Low-voltage-area ablation for persistent atrial fibrillation: a randomized controlled trial
Of 1,347 patients who underwent initial ablation for persistent AF, left atrial LVAs were detected in 343 (25.5%) patients. A total of 342 patients were randomly assigned to either the PVI + LVA-ABL (170 patients) or the PVI-alone group (172 patients) and safety outcomes were assessed. After excluding 1 patient who was found to have a history of thromboembolism after randomization and judged ineligible to participate in the study, the efficacy endpoint was assessed in 170 patients in the LVA-ABL group and 171 patients in the PVI-alone group. During the 1-year follow-up period, 17 patients dropped out. The follow-up protocol was completed in 324 (94.7%) patients.
