Pulmonary vein antrum isolation, atrioventricular junction ablation, and antiarrhythmic drugs combined with direct current cardioversion: survival rates at 7 years follow-up

To report survival rates in patients treated with pulmonary vein antrum isolation (PVAI), atrioventricular junctional ablation (AVJA), and antiarrhythmic and direct current cardioversion (A + DCCV) at 7 years follow-up. From February 2002–December 2004, 1,000 consecutive patients underwent PVAI or A + DCCV or AVJA. These patients were matched in a nested case-controlled methodology. Survival rates were compared at the end of 7 years. Three hundred and forty-five consecutive patients had undergone PVAI (34.5%), 157 (15.7%) consecutive patients AVJA, and 498(49.8%) A + DCCV. After matching the patients in a nested case-controlled methodology, 146 (32.3%) patients were in the PVAI group, 205 (59.4%) in the A + DCCV, and 101 (22.3%) in the AVJA. At 69 ± 27 months, 63 (13.9%) patients had died in the matched population. Three (2.1%) patients died in the PVAI group, 34 (16.5%) in the A + DCCV group, and 26 (25.7%) in the AVJA group. In multivariable analysis, treatment strategy was a significant predictor of mortality. Compared to patients with PVAI (reference group), those with A + DCCV (HR 4.9, p = 0.011) and AVJA (HR 10.6, p = 0.001) procedures had higher mortality risk. Compared to the other two procedures, patients with PVAI had the best survival rates at the end of 7 years. However, the observational case-control design of this study incurs the potential for confounding due to non-randomized treatment selection, and creates a major limitation in making valid generalization of the findings.