Cardiac Resynchronization in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) occurs in one of four patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT).-Without special therapy, the prognosis of AF patients with CRT has been generally worse than those in sinus rhythm. The importance of a high percentage of biventricular pacing (BIV%) was confirmed in a large study where the mortality was inversely associated with BIV% both in the presence of normal sinus and atrial paced rhythm and with AF. The greatest reduction in mortality was observed with BIV% >98%. Patients with BIV% >99.6% experienced a 24% reduction in mortality (p < 0.001) while those with BIV% <94.8% had a 19% increase in mortality. The optimal BIV% cut-point was 98.7%. This cutoff would appear mandatory but it would be best to approach 100%. Careful evaluation of device interrogation data upon which the BiV% is based is essential because the memorized data can vastly overestimate the percentage of truly resynchronized beats since it does not account for fusion and pseudofusion between intrinsic (not paced) and paced beats. The recently published randomized CERTIFY trial provides unequivocal proof of the value of AV junctional (AVJ) ablation in CRT patients with AF. This trial confirmed the favorable results of AVJ ablation by many other studies and two important meta-analyses and therefore established the firm recommendation that the procedure should be performed in most, if not all, patients with permanent AF as well as those with frequent and prolonged episodes of paroxysmal AF. Patients after AVJ have improved mortality with a mortality similar to those in sinus rhythm. The AVJ ablation procedure carries the theoretical risk of device failure and death in pacemaker dependent patients. An inappropriate first ICD shock for AF seems to increase mortality. Increased long-term mortality after an inappropriate shock may be due to the underlying atrial arrhythmia substrate as opposed to the effect of the shock itself.