Supraventricular Tachycardia Burden on Ambulatory ECG Monitoring Predicts Recurrent Atrial Fibrillation Following Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation

Authors: Ghazal Sanadgol, MD, Adham Ramadan, MD, Mohammad Hosein Yazdanpanah, MD, Mohamed Doma, MD, Tristan Alfie, MD, Acile Nahlawi, MD, Leon Ptaszek, MD, Jeremy N. Ruskin, MD.

Summary:

This retrospective study evaluated over 1,200 post-ablation patients and found that a high supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) burden detected on 7–14-day ambulatory ECG monitoring (Zio) within a year after AF catheter ablation strongly and independently predicted atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence, supporting its role in post-procedural risk stratification.

Key Findings:

Both non-sustained (<30s) and sustained (≥30s) SVT episodes were linked to higher AF recurrence risk (HR 2.56 and 3.03, P = 0.01).

≥15 total SVT episodes, ≥5 episodes/day, and SVT on ≥85 % of monitored days each independently predicted recurrence (P = 0.002).

Post-ablation AECG-detected SVT burden can serve as an effective, non-invasive marker to identify patients at high risk for AF recurrence and inform follow-up monitoring strategies.

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