This prospective study evaluates the impact of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) on cardiorespiratory indicators in patients with long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation admitted to the Heart Center UMC between January 2022 and April 2024 in Astana, Kazakhstan. The study aims to assess the functional cardiac benefits of RFA. Out of 717 registered atrial fibrillation patients, 104 were examined before and 3 months after ablation, focusing on cardiorespiratory parameters. A before-and-after analysis using linear mixed models was applied to evaluate changes in cardiorespiratory parameters post-RFA. Significant improvements were noted across various measures. VO₂ max increased from 11.5 ± 4.4 mL/kg/min to 18.0 ± 4.5 mL/kg/min (p < 0.001). Oxygen uptake improved from 7.2 ± 2.6 mL/beat to 11.0 ± 3.4 mL/beat (p < 0.001). The 6-min walking test distance rose from 306 ± 82 m to 400 ± 48 m (p < 0.001). METs increased from 4.4 ± 1.6 to 8.0 ± 1.3 (p < 0.001). Heart rate at peak exercise decreased from 175.5 ± 18.6 to 147.2 ± 12.3 beats per minute (p < 0.001). NT-proBNP levels decreased from 1357 ± 1182 to 415 ± 339 pg/mL (p < 0.001). Patients with persistent atrial fibrillation undergoing RFA showed functional improvements in CPET indicators such as VO₂ max, METs, O₂ pulse, heart rate, and the 6-min walking test. Improvements were also seen in Nt-proBNP analysis. These results emphasize the need for longitudinal follow-up to optimize outcomes and minimize medical risks.

Mapping of multiple atrial tachycardias after previous cryoballoon pulmonary vein isolations and multiple radiofrequency ablations can be challenging even for experienced specialists. HD Grid high‐density mapping catheter is one of the catheters, which helps not only to precisely identify the mechanisms of macro‐reentry tachycardia but also to avoid unnecessary radiofrequency applications. Accordingly, we present two cases of complex atrial arrhythmia with the use of HD Grid, which showed clear visualization of mechanisms and target ablations with the termination of tachycardia.

Background/Objectives: Patient-reported outcome after treatment is an important factor that positively correlates with the quality of care and can influence the patient’s future health choices. Both radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and cryoballoon ablation (CBA) are effective techniques for pulmonary vein isolation in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and have shown similar results in efficacy and safety, but they have not been thoroughly compared in terms of patient satisfaction. The aim of this study is to assess the satisfaction of paroxysmal AF patients who underwent RFA and CBA after their first procedure. Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent their first procedure of pulmonary vein isolation with RFA or CBA in eight international centres were included. A ten-point Likert scale was used for measuring patient-reported outcomes, evaluating anxiety before procedure, pain during and after ablation, motivation to repeat the procedure in future if necessary, and real and perceived procedural time. Results: A total of 483 patients were enrolled. Median age was 63 [56–69] years, and 281 (58.1%) patients were men. In total, 385 (79.7%) patients underwent RFA and 98 (20.3%) underwent CBA. RFA and CBA were equivalent in terms of the satisfaction of the patient, with the only exception being groin pain, which was lower in the CBA group (2 [0–3] vs. 3 [1–4], p = 0.002). Conscious sedation was used in 414 (86.7%) patients and general anaesthesia in 69 (14.3%) patients. The use of general anaesthesia reduced the perceived pain during and after the procedure in both techniques (p < 0.05), but it resulted in lower pre-procedural anxiety only in RFA patients compared to those under conscious sedation (4 [2–6] vs. 5 [3–7], p = 0.007). Anaesthetic management alone did not affect the willingness to repeat the procedure in RFA patients, while CBA patients under general anaesthesia were more motivated to repeat the procedure than those under conscious sedation (10 [8–10] vs. 7 [6–8], p < 0.001). The perceived procedure time was shorter than the actual time in all settings. Conclusions: Anaesthetic management seems to have a greater impact on patient-reported outcome than the technique used during ablation. Despite this, patients most motivated to repeat the procedure were those who underwent CBA under general anaesthesia.