Arrhythmias & electrophysiology
Impact of shortening the blanking period to 8 weeks after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI): Insights from COMPARE-CRYO using continuous rhythm monitoring
Authors' conclusion
ERATs after PVI is common. The presence of ERATs in the third month after PVI was highly predictive of ablation failure, supporting the shortening of the BP to 8 weeks; however, the shorter BP reclassifies only 7 (3.4%) of patients to ablation failure instead of ablation success.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with paroxysmal AF undergoing cryoballoon PVI, all with implantable cardiac monitor; Blanking period (BP) 90 days
- Participants
- 201 patients
- Comparison
- Early recurrences of atrial tachyarrhythmias (ERATs) vs no ERATs after PVI; timing of last ERAT episode
- ERATsn = 117
- Primary endpoint
- Freedom from late recurrence by presence and timing of ERATs
Methodological detailsprespecified substudy, continuous rhythm monitoring (implantable cardiac monitor)
- Prespecified substudy
- Continuous rhythm monitoring (implantable cardiac monitor)
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
Freedom from LR
P < 0.001
Further findings
Freedom from late recurrence, by timing of last ERAT episode
- Freedom from late recurrence, by timing of last ERAT episode: P<.001
AF recurrence in the third month only (none days 91–365), reclassified from success to failure with an 8-week blanking period
- Patients reclassified to ablation failure
- 7 of 201 (3.4%)
Original publication
Impact of shortening the blanking period to 8 weeks after PVI: Insights from COMPARE-CRYO using continuous rhythm monitoring. Heart Rhythm. Published 13 December 2024. doi:10.
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it