Abstract 11171: Smoking Modulates Response to Anti-Arrhythmic Therapy for Atrial Fibrillation Patients Across Race-Ethnicity

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Smoking is associated with increased risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF) and stroke. Yet, it remains unclear if it also predicts response to rhythm control therapy across race-ethnicity. We sought to determine if response to rhythm control therapy for AF is modulated by smoking across race-ethnicity. Methods: 529 patients treated with a rhythm control strategy were prospectively enrolled in the Chicagoland area. Patients were classified into White, Black or Hispanic\Latino based on race\ethnicity and ancestry markers. Rhythm control included antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) and/or catheter ablation. Successful response was defined as continuation of the same AAD for at least 6 months and/or successful catheter ablation without recurrence of AF for 12 months. Results: 235 (44%) were Black, 192 (36%) were White, and 102 (19%) were Hispanic. 299 (57%) were treated with AADs and 230 (44%) with catheter ablation. One-hundred sixty-eight (35%) patients had a history of smoking. Baseline co-morbidities were similar across responders and non-responders. In multivariate regression analysis (Table 1), patients with a smoking history were more likely to have a recurrence of AF when treated with a rhythm control strategy (odds ratio [OR] 1.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-2.21, P =0.03). Stratified multivariate regression analysis showed that smokers were more likely to have a recurrence of AF after ablation therapy as compared to AADs (OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.03-2.17, P = 0.03). Multivariate logistic regression showed that patients that smoked for >20 years were twice as likely to have a recurrence of AF with a rhythm control therapy than those who smoked for <20 years (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.20- 2.93, P = 0.01). Conclusions: A smoking history modulates response to rhythm control therapy for AF across race-ethnicity. Our study highlights the importance of smoking cessation before initiation of rhythm control agents in patients with AF.