Study Population
This study included 28 consecutive patients who underwent PVI with radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) for paroxysmal or persistent AF at our institution. Patients with any of the following were excluded from the present study: (1) unsuccessful PVI; (2) no intrinsic atrial beat from the sinus node after PVI; and (3) no SVC sleeve.
We discontinued antiarrhythmic drugs for at least five half-lives prior to the ablation procedure to the extent that they had no adverse clinical effects, anticoagulant agents were administered at least three weeks prior to the ablation procedure, and the absence of a thrombus in the LA was confirmed by transoesophageal echocardiography. Verbal and written informed consent for this study was obtained from all patients prior to the procedure. The study protocol, including data collection and record keeping, was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan (approval number: UOEHCRB20-035) 11.