Efficacy and safety of the vein of Marshall ethanol infusion with radiofrequency catheter ablation for the treatment of persistent atrial fibrillation in elderly patients.

Background: Increasing age is a significant risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after catheter ablation (CA). We accomplished this study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the vein of Marshall (VOM) ethanol infusion (VOM-EI) with CA in elderly patients with persistent AF (PsAF). Methods: This retrospective observational study included 360 consecutive adult patients with PsAF, of which 141 were in the Elder group (age ≥65 years) and 219 were in the Younger group (age <65 years), who underwent the VOM-EI and radiofrequency CA (RFCA) between May 2020 and April 2022. The efficacy endpoint was no recurrence of AF within one year after CA. Results: The VOM-EI was successfully performed in 90.8% of patients from the Elder and 88.6% from the Younger group. All patients achieved PVI; 97.9% of patients from the Elder and 98.6% from the Younger group reached LA roof block, and 93.6% of patients from the Elder and 95.9% from the Younger group achieved MI block. There was no significant difference in 1-year survival without recurrence of AF between the two groups (83.0% and 84.5%, respectively). The incidence of complications within 30 days after the procedure from the two groups was low and did not differ significantly. Conclusion: The VOM-EI combined with RFCA proved to be an effective and safe strategy for treating PsAF in elderly and younger patients.