Does Alcohol Use Increase the Risk of Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence after Radiofrequency Ablation? (2013)
Undergraduate: Nikhil Patel
Faculty Advisor: Anil Gehi
Department: Economics
Introduction: Alcohol is the most widely consumed drug in the world. It is unclear whether alcohol use post ablation increases the risk of Atrial Fibrillation (AF) recurrence.
Methods: Patients underwent radiofrequency ablation for AF at UNC Hospitals. Patients were followed post-ablation with 1-week continuous monitoring and follow-up clinic visits. Patients were asked questions regarding alcohol intake. Recurrent AF was defined as symptomatic or asymptomatic AF lasting >30 seconds. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses and multivariable Cox regression models were performed.
Results: Mean age of the cohort was 60.0 (11.8) and 71% were male. Comorbidities included hypertension (57.7%), coronary heart disease (17.6%), heart failure (12.8%), and diabetes (21.2%). Mean left atrial size was 4.4 (0.8) cm and AF was persistent in 65.3%. Patients drank alcohol an average of 1-4 times per month and drank 0-2 drinks at a time. Among the cohort, 19% reported binge drinking (6 or more drinks) on at least 1 occasion in the prior year. Frequency of alcohol intake was not associated with AF recurrence. However, binge drinking (>5-6 drinks at a time or binge drinking weekly or more) was associated with an increased risk of AF recurrence (HR 3.7, p<.05) after adjusting for confounding variables.
Conclusion: Moderate consumption of alcohol on a regular basis does not increase the risk for AF recurrence. However, binge drinking may increase the risk of AF recurrence even after AF ablation.