Pulmonary hypertension is an adverse risk factor for peri-procedural complications in patients undergoing pulmonary vein isolation and ablation for atrial fibrillation

Abstract Background Recent studies have identified Pulmonary hypertension (PHT) as a predictor for poor clinical outcomes in Atrial fibrillation (AF) with increased fold in mortality. PHT is associated with right ventricular pressure and volume overload eventually leading to right heart failure. These structural changes can lead to electrophysiological abnormalities, with AF being one of the most common. Percutaneous catheter ablation and pulmonary vein isolation is becoming more common ground for management of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF). We sought to investigate the impact of PHT as an adverse risk factor for patients undergoing pulmonary vein isolation and ablation for AF. Methods We utilized the National Inpatient Sample from 2016-2019 to identify roughly 49,425 hospitalized adults who underwent AF Ablation. These hospitalizations were further stratified based on the presence of PHT. A multivariate regression model was used to adjust for confounders and analyze the variables. Results Of those who underwent AF Ablation, 5,329 (10.7%) had PHT. In-hospital mortality was higher in those with PHT (2.5% vs 0.9%; p