Catheter Ablation as First-Line Therapy in Persistent Atrial Fibrillation: Patient Characteristics and Clinical Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: In patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (PerAF), antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) are considered a first-line rhythm-control strategy, whereas catheter ablation is a reasonable alternative. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to examine the prevalence, patient characteristics, and clinical outcomes of patients with PerAF who underwent catheter ablation as a first or second-line strategy. METHODS: This multicenter observational study included consecutive patients with PerAF who underwent first-time ablation between January 2020 and September 2021 in 9 medical centers in the United States. Patients were divided into those who underwent ablation as first-line therapy and those who had ablation as second-line therapy. Patient characteristics and clinical outcomes were compared between the groups. RESULTS: A total of 2,083 patients underwent first-time ablation for PerAF. Of these, 1,086 (52%) underwent ablation as a first-line rhythm-control treatment. Compared with patients treated with AADs as first-line therapy, these patients were predominantly male (72.6% vs 68.1%; P = 0.03), with a lower frequency of hypertension (64.0% vs 73.4%; P < 0.001) and heart failure (19.1% vs 30.5%; P < 0.001). During a mean follow-up of 325.9 ± 81.6 days, arrhythmia-free survival was similar between the groups (HR: 1.13; 95% CI: 0.92-1.41); however, patients in the second-line ablation strategy were more likely to continue receiving AAD therapy (41.5% vs 15.9%; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A first-line ablation strategy for PerAF is prevalent in the United States, particularly in men with fewer comorbidities. More data are needed to identify patients with PerAF who derive benefit from an early intervention strategy.

Therapeutic neutralizing monoclonal antibody administration protects against lethal yellow fever virus infection.

Yellow fever virus (YFV) is a reemerging global health threat, driven by several factors, including increased spread of the mosquito vector and rapid urbanization. Although a prophylactic vaccine exists, vaccine hesitancy, supply deficits, and distribution difficulties leave specific populations at risk of severe YFV disease, as evidenced by recent outbreaks in South America. To establish a treatment for patients with severe YFV infection, we tested 37 YFV-specific monoclonal antibodies isolated from vaccinated humans and identified two capable of potently neutralizing multiple pathogenic primary YFV isolates. Using both hamster and nonhuman primate models of lethal YFV infection, we demonstrate that a single administration of either of these two potently neutralizing antibodies during acute infection fully controlled viremia and prevented severe disease and death in treated animals. Given the potential severity of YFV-induced disease, our results show that these antibodies could be effective in saving lives and fill a much-needed void in managing YFV cases during outbreaks.

Aspiration thrombectomy in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (from the Acute Coronary Syndrome Israeli Survey 2010).

We assessed the impact of aspiration thrombectomy (AT) in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) on major adverse cardiac events at 30 days and 1-year mortality in 517 consecutive patients who were included in the prospective, nationwide, multicenter, observational Acute Coronary Syndrome Israeli Survey in 2010. Two hundred seventeen patients (42%) underwent AT (AT-PPCI) and 300 patients conventional (C) PPCI. Both groups had similar infarct-related artery distribution and ostial or proximal culprit lesion. Patients in AT-PPCI versus C-PPCI had lower systolic blood pressure and worse Killip class on admission, more frequent Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction flow 0 or 1 before PPCI (80% vs 56%), less frequent restoration of flow after indwelling a guidewire in the infarct-related artery (32% vs 52%), and more use of IIb/IIIa glycoprotein inhibitors (69% vs 49%), respectively (p ≤0.05 for all comparisons). Thirty-day major adverse cardiac events was similar in the AT-PPCI and C-PPCI groups, 10.6% versus 9.7%, p = 0.73; adjusted odds ratio 0.97, 95% confidence interval 0.45 to 2.10, p = 0.95. One-year mortality was lower in the AT-PPCI versus C-PPCI group, 3.7% versus 6.7%, p = 0.13; adjusted hazard ratio 0.31, 95% confidence interval 0.10 to 0.96, p = 0.042. In conclusion, this study of consecutive patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction undergoing PPCI demonstrates that AT was an independent predictor of reduced 1-year mortality.