Background: New-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) is common after cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI)-dependent atrial flutter (AFL) ablation. The meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the benefit of prophylactic pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in typical AFL patients.
Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCT) comparing prophylactic PVI to CTI ablation alone in typical AFL patients without prior documentation of AF were identified in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases.
Results: Four RCTs met the inclusion criteria. A total of 357 patients with follow-up of 20 ± 9 months were included. More patients in prophylactic PVI group were free from atrial arrhythmias (AA) compared with those in CTI group (69% versus 50%, OR = 2.36, 95% CI: 1.51 to 3.68; P = 0.0001). In the subgroup of age > 55, prophylactic PVI showed even higher incidence of freedom from AA. There is a lower occurrence of AF in prophylactic PVI group (27% versus 46%, OR = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.28 to 0.73; P = 0.001) and no difference of complications between prophylactic PVI group and CTI group (4% versus 2%; P = 0.33).
Conclusion: Our study indicated the efficacy and safety of prophylactic PVI during CTI ablation in typical AFL patients without AF history, especially for elder patients. Large prospective RCTs are warranted to confirm the benefit of prophylactic PVI in typical AFL.
Keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Atrial flutter; Pulmonary vein isolation.