Additional ablation for first PVI and acute reconnection
In total, 15/51 (29.4%) and 9/23 (39.1%) of the patients in the
EC-negative and EC-positive groups, respectively, failed first-pass
isolation. Of these patients, the most common success site of PVI was
the anterior carina, observed in 7/15(46.7%) of the patients in the
EC-negative group and in 7/9 (77.8%) of the patients in the EC-positive
group. In the EC-positive group, the concordance rate between success
and EC sites was higher in the inside-line group than that in the online
group (7/8, 88% vs. 0/1, 0%; p=0.0472).
There were no significant differences in the rate of acute reconnection
during the procedure between the groups. The acute reconnection sites
were widely distributed, including an EC site in the inside-line group.
Despite achieving first-pass isolation in the inside-line group, one of
the two patients required additional ablation at the EC site because of
acute reconnection.
The need for additional carina ablation for the first PVI and acute
reconnection was not significantly different between the EC-negative and
EC-positive groups (9/51,17.7% vs. 8/23, 34.8%; p=0.1377). However,
among the patients in EC-positive group, additional carina ablation was
required significantly more frequently in the inside-line group than in
the online or outside-line groups (8/10, 80% vs. 0/11, 0% vs. 0/2,
0%; p<0.001).
Finally, all the right-sided PVs were successfully isolated. No major
complications, such as cardiac tamponade or stroke, occurred.