Self-reported Sleep Quality Before and After Atrial Fibrillation Ablation

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Sleep Medicine
• Medical Procedures

Background:

• Poor sleep quality is common in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients, correlating with increased disease severity.
• Limited research exists on sleep quality changes following AF ablation, a standard procedure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess self-reported sleep quality changes before and after AF ablation.
• To investigate if sleep quality variations correlate with AF severity or patient sex.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal pilot study utilized the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index for sleep assessment at multiple time points pre- and post-ablation.
• Atrial fibrillation disease severity was measured using the Canadian Cardiology Society Severity of AF scale.
• Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, correlations, and multilevel longitudinal models.

Main Results:

• Poor sleep quality was prevalent across all assessment periods (mean PSQI scores > 5).
• A moderate improvement in sleep quality was observed at 3 months post-ablation, with minimal further change by 6 months.
• Sleep quality improvements were more pronounced in male patients compared to female patients, despite no correlation between AF severity and sleep quality.

Conclusions:

• Atrial fibrillation patients experience improved sleep quality in the initial three months after ablation, with notable sex-based differences in improvement.
• Understanding post-ablation sleep challenges can inform better patient education and self-management approaches for AF patients.