Abstract
Background: Acute pericarditis is a known complication of ablation procedures for atrial fibrillation (AF). Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the benefits of colchicine monotherapy in terms of reducing the risk of pericarditis and related hospitalization rate in AF patients undergoing catheter ablation. Methods: Consecutive AF patients undergoing first catheter ablation were classified into 3 groups based on their colchicine use: Group 1: no colchicine; group 2: colchicine from 7 days before to 1 month after ablation; and group 3: colchicine from the day of the procedure to 1 month after. Standard institutional protocol was used to follow all patients for 1 year. Results: A total of 1,075 patients were classified into groups 1 (n = 607), 2 (n = 213), and 3 (n = 255). Symptoms of acute pericarditis were reported in 129 patients (12%): group 1: n = 106 (17.5%); group 2: n = 4 (1.9%); and group 3: n = 19 (7.5%); P < 0.001. Rate of mild-moderate as well as severe pericarditis were significantly lower in group 2. In the multivariable regression analysis, pre- and post-ablation colchicine use was seen to be associated with significantly lower risk of acute pericarditis and related hospitalization compared with the other 2 groups. In addition, at 1-year follow-up, arrhythmia-free survival rate was significantly higher in paroxysmal AF patients receiving colchicine compared with the no-colchicine population. Conclusions: Colchicine therapy starting 7 days before to 1 month after the ablation procedure was associated with significantly lower risk of acute pericarditis and related hospitalization. In addition, paroxysmal AF patients receiving colchicine had a higher arrhythmia-free survival rate compared with those not receiving colchicine.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1051-1059 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology |
Volume | 9 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 2023 |
Keywords
- acute pericarditis
- atrial fibrillation
- catheter ablation
- colchicine
- paroxysmal AF
- persistent AF
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
- Physiology (medical)