Circulating Biomarkers and Recurrence of Persistent Atrial Fibrillation After Electrical Cardioversion

Rhythm control therapy is recommended for individuals with symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF) to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life. Electrical cardioversion (ECV) is used to restore sinus rhythm (SR), but AF recurrence is common.

We aimed to investigate if a selection of circulating biomarkers can predict rhythm outcomes in individuals with persistent AF treated with ECV.

This was an observational cohort study.

We included 200 individuals aged ⩾ 18 years referred for ECV of AF from November 2017 to March 2022. We obtained blood samples 0 to 6 weeks before ECV. Plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) activity, soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2), galectin-3 (GAL-3), interleukin-6 (IL-6), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), growth differentiation factor-15, (GDF-15), transforming growth factor-β-1 (TGF-β1), and fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) were analyzed by ELISA methods. The participants recorded thumb ECGs twice daily for 28 days after the ECV to detect AF recurrence.

A total of 188 individuals were eligible for the analyses. Twenty-four participants converted spontaneously to SR before ECV. Among the cardioverted, 74 maintained SR, whereas 90 experienced AF recurrence before hospital discharge (n = 15) or during the follow-up period of 28 days (n = 75). TIMP-1 was significantly higher in those with AF recurrence than in those who maintained SR, but overlapping distributions suggest limited predictive ability. PAI-1 activity, sST2, GAL-3, IL-6, MMP-9, GDF-15, TGF-β1, and FGF-23 did not differ among the participants who had ECV.

TIMP-1 was higher in participants with recurrence of AF after ECV, but its predictive ability was limited. None of the other biomarkers were associated with AF recurrence. We do not recommend using these biomarkers for candidate selection for ECV of persistent AF.