Complications of Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation in Patients with Rheumatic Diseases

Background: Rheumatic diseases (RDs) are associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity, including a 40% higher risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). While ablation has become the cornerstone of rhythm control, its safety in patients with rheumatic diseases remains poorly defined. Methods: Adults with a primary admission diagnosis of AF catheter ablation from 2016 to 2022 were identified using the National Inpatient Sample. We excluded patients with other forms of supraventricular tachycardia, pacemaker/defibrillator procedures, and atrioventricular junction ablations. Sociodemographic, clinical characteristics, and outcomes were compared between groups. Multivariate logistic regression adjusted for age, race, sex, and potential comorbid confounders was used to assess for independent associations. Results: A weighted total of 48,855 patients were included, 2.5% of which had RD. These patients were predominantly female, older, and had higher rates of renal dysfunction, hypertension, heart failure, history of stroke, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and obstructive sleep apnea (all p < 0.001). Patients with RD had higher complication rates (12.9% vs. 8.8%, p < 0.001); specifically, bleeding (p < 0.001), infection (p = 0.008), pericardial (p = 0.003), and respiratory complications (p < 0.001). RDs were not found to be an independent predictor of complications, though there was a trend towards more complications (odds ratio 1.43, 95% confidence interval 0.97–2.11, p = 0.070). Conclusions: Patients with RD undergoing AF ablation were older, female, and had higher rates of comorbidities. This translated to higher unadjusted periprocedural complications in patients with rheumatic diseases. While RDs were not independently associated with adverse outcomes, a trend towards increased complications was observed.