Evaluation of the Efficacy of Sacubitril/Valsartan on Radiofrequency Ablation in Patients with Hypertension and Persistent Atrial Fibrillation.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether the effect of radiofrequency ablation can be improved by using sacubitril/valsartan (S/V) to control blood pressure in hypertensive patients with persistent atrial fibrillation.

METHODS

A total of 63 and 67 hypertension patients with persistent atrial fibrillation were enrolled in an S/V group and ACEI/ARB group, respectively. All patients underwent radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA). The blood pressure of the two groups was controlled within the range of 100-140 mmHg (high pressure) and 60-90 mmHg (low pressure). The clinical outcomes of the two groups were observed after 12 months of follow-up.

RESULTS

No significant differences in blood pressure were observed between the S/V and ACEI/ARB groups. In addition, the recurrence rate of atrial fibrillation between the two groups was not different. The left atrial diameter was an independent predictor of recurrence (HR = 1.063, P = 0.008). However, in the heart failure subgroup, the recurrence rate of S/V was significantly lower than that of the ACEI/ARB group (P = 0.005), and Cox regression analysis showed that the recurrence risk of atrial fibrillation of the S/V group was 0.302 lower than that of the ACEI/ARB group. NT-proBNP, LVEF, and LAD were significantly improved in hypertension patients with heart failure when comparing cases before and at the end of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

S/V is better than ACEI/ARB in reducing the recurrence of persistent atrial fibrillation in patients with hypertension and heart failure after RFCA.