The Impact of Autonomic Function on Recurrence Following Circumferential Pulmonary Vein Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF), also known as atrial flutter, is one of the most common cardiac arrhythmias and poses a serious threat to patients' health and well-being. The mechanism of AF is complex, with the autonomic nervous system playing a crucial role in its initiation and maintenance. Currently, medication and ablation are the main treatment methods to reduce AF episodes, but the efficacy of drug therapy is limited, and recurrence after ablation still exists. Recent studies have found that changes in autonomic nervous system activity are one of the key factors contributing to AF recurrence after ablation. Therefore, by objectively assessing changes in autonomic nervous system activity, it is expected to improve the success rate of AF ablation and provide a potential cure for AF, with significant social and economic value.

Studies have found that pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) ablation is the mainstream method for AF ablation, and it affects the autonomic nervous system function. Patients who show significant changes in autonomic nervous system function after AF ablation have higher success rates. Additionally, early-onset atrial arrhythmias are closely related to long-term AF recurrence after ablation. However, the mechanisms underlying early recurrence still require further investigation.

Our research team has conducted in-depth studies on the regulation of autonomic nervous system function in the heart and non-invasive assessment techniques, achieving breakthrough progress. The left atrial ganglion plays a crucial role in the initiation and maintenance of AF, and ablating the ganglion can improve the success rate of AF ablation. Non-invasive assessment techniques such as heart rate deceleration can quantitatively evaluate changes in vagal nerve activity in the heart, which can be used to predict the efficacy of autonomic ganglion intervention therapy.

Based on the above research, our research team hypothesizes that precise and quantitative assessment of autonomic nervous system function using heart rate deceleration can predict AF recurrence after PVI ablation. To validate this hypothesis, we plan to conduct a prospective observational study, recruiting patients with paroxysmal AF, assessing changes in autonomic nervous system function, monitoring early-onset atrial arrhythmias and AF recurrence, and providing theoretical support for the screening and intervention of high-risk recurrence patients, laying a foundation for clinical application.