The American journal of cardiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Natriuretic Propeptides as Markers of Atrial Fibrillation Burden and Recurrence (from the AMIO-CAT Trial).
Natriuretic peptides are established plasma markers of systolic heart failure, but their usefulness for the evaluation of atrial fibrillation (AF) is unknown. We examined mid-regional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (MR-proANP) and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in patients undergoing ablation for AF. A subpopulation of 102 patients (median age 60 [52;65], 82% male) from the AMIO-CAT trial (Recurrence of arrhythmia following short-term oral AMIOdarone after CATheter ablation for atrial fibrillation: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study) undergoing ablation for paroxysmal (n = 55) or persistent (n = 47) AF was studied. ⋯ In conclusion, AF was associated with higher plasma concentrations of MR-proANP and NT-proBNP than sinus rhythm. Moreover, AF burden was associated with subsequent concentrations of both MR-proANP and NT-proBNP. The results suggest that natriuretic propeptide measurement reflects functional cardiac dysfunction during AF, and that AF burden should be included in biochemical assessment of left ventricular dysfunction.