Prevalence of sustained atrial arrythmias and treatment with zero fluoroscopy or near zero fluoroscopy catheter ablation in Slovenian orthotopic heart transplant recipients
Authors: Rauber M , Pernat A , Poglajen G , Vrtovec B , Antolic B 
Published: May 2023

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: None.

Background

Due to advances in surgical techniques and immunosuppression survival of heart transplant (HT) recipients has improved significantly, with that the prevalence of sustained atrial arrhythmias (SAA) in these patients is increasing. In HT recipients antiarrhythmic therapy options are limited. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) represents a viable but underutilized option after other etiologies of SAA such as acute allograft rejection and vasculopathy are excluded. Limiting radiation exposure in HT recipients, who are exposed to 3,5 times (1) greater radiation dose compared to general population and are significantly more susceptible to develop malignancies, is essential.

Purpose

Our aim was to analyse prevalence and type of SAA in Slovenian orthotopic HT recipients and analyse feasibility and procedural outcomes of zero (ZF) or near zero fluoroscopy (NZF) RFA treatment approaches.

Methods

We performed a retrospective analysis of HT recipients between 2002 and 2022. We re-evaluated all available ECGs of suspected arrhythmias of included patients for presence and type of SAA. We further analysed HT patients that underwent RFA for SAA at our centre. All procedures were performed primarily with 3D electroanatomical mapping system and intracardiac echocardiography guidance. Either ZF or NZF approaches were used. The primary endpoint of all procedures was SAA termination and acute success was deemed when subsequent attempts to reinduce SAA failed. Long-term success was defined as the absence of any spontaneous SAA during 12-month follow-up.

Results

Among 364 consecutive HT recipients 19 patients (5,2%) were evaluated for SAA. Of those 7 (37%) presented as typical atrial flutters (AFL), 9 (47%) as atypical AFL, 2 (11%) as focal atrial tachycardia (FAT) and 1 (5%) as slow-fast atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia. In 2 (11%) patients with AFL, SAA was a result of acute allograft rejection. In 10 (53%) patients SAA occurred in first 3 months after HT. In the remaining 9 patients SAA occurred late, median 6,6 years after HT (25th-75th IQR: 7,7 years). RFA was performed in 7 (37%) patients. In all patients procedures were acutely successful however in 2 patients additional RFA procedures were needed for long-term success. All in all, 10 RFA procedures were performed (Table 1). All cases had macro or micro reentrant AFL with a median of 2,0 re-entry circuits mapped (25th-75th IQR: 3,3 re-entry circuits) during the procedure – that included typical cavotricuspid isthmus AFL, perimitral AFL, and several right atrium (RA) scar-related or incision related AFL. In 2 cases additional RA FAT were ablated. Five (50%) procedures were performed with ZF. No major procedure related complications were observed.

Conclusion

In HT recipients ZF or NZF RFA of SAA appears to be feasible and safe, but still underutilised, treatment option. Our case series demonstrates favourable acute and long-term outcomes however larger data is needed to support these results.