Left Ventricular Filling Pressure as Assessed by the E/e' Ratio Is a Determinant of Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence after Cardioversion

PURPOSE Left ventricular (LV) filling pressure affects atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence. We investigated the relationship between diastolic dysfunction and AF recurrence after cardioversion, and whether LV filling pressure was predictive of AF recurrence. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixty-six patients (mean 58±12 years) with newly diagnosed persistent AF were retrospectively enrolled. We excluded patients with left atrial (LA) diameters larger than 50 mm, thereby isolating the effect of LV filling pressure. We evaluated the differences between the patients with (group 1) and without AF recurrence (group 2). RESULTS Group 1 showed increased LA volume index (LAVI) and E/e' compared to group 2 (p<0.05). During a mean follow-up period of 25±19 months, AF recurrence after cardioversion was 60.6% (40/66). The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve of E/e' for AF recurrence was 0.780 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.657-0.903], and the optimal cut-off value of the E/e' was 9.15 with 75.0% of sensitivity and 73.1% of specificity. A Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that the cumulative recurrence-free survival rate was significantly lower in patients with higher LV filling pressure (E/e'>9.15) compared with patients with lower LV filling pressure (E/e'≤9.15) (log rank p=0.008). Cox regression analysis revealed that E/e' [hazards ratio (HR): 1.100, 95% CI: 1.017-1.190] and LAVI (HR: 1.042, 95% CI: 1.002-1.084) were independent predictors for AF recurrence after cardioversion. CONCLUSION LV filling pressure predicts the risk of AF recurrence in persistent AF patients after cardioversion.