The Convergent Procedure Continues to Meet the Challenges of Treating Persistent Atrial Fibrillation -- Multiple European Centers Report Consistent Long-Term Results

Four Studies Including 161 Patients Show Importance of Procedure Standardization

MORRISVILLE, N.C., Oct. 21, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Four European centers performing the Convergent Procedure recently presented data that continues to highlight consistent long-term results in the treatment of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). AF is the most common arrhythmia, estimated to affect 15 million people in the Western world, with an estimated 88% falling into the difficult-to-treat persistent AF population. All patients in the 4 studies had persistent AF, and one third to nearly one half of patients had failed previous endocardial catheter ablations.

The cumulative data included 161 patients who all had persistent AF, and each study was presented at one of 4 European society meetings: Heart Rhythm Congress UK, European Society of Cardiology, American Association for Thoracic Surgery, and International AF Symposium.

Author & Institution

Society Meeting

N

% Persistent or Longstanding Persistent

Mean AF Duration

Mean Sinus Rhythm at Follow-Up

Monitoring

Dr. Nick Child Guy's & St. Thomas' London, UK

Heart Rhythm Congress UK London, UK

19

100%

7.8 yrs

90% at 1 year

Holter

Dr. Dmitri Pajitnev Kerckhoff Klinik Bad Nauheim, Germany

European Society of Cardiology Barcelona, Spain

28

100%

4.6 yrs

80% at 1 year

Reveal 24/7

Dr. Michael Zembala Sileasian Center for Heart Diseases Zabrze, Poland

American Association for Thoracic Surgery, Toronto, Canada

54

100%

4.4 yrs

85% at 1 year

Holter 7-day

Dr. Borut Gersak University Medical Center Ljubljana Ljubljana, Slovenia

International AF Symposium Orlando, Florida

60

100%

6.2 yrs

83% at 1 year

Reveal 24/7

"Our institution, Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital in London, is the latest site to report Convergent Procedure outcomes, and the results are consistent with other European reported outcomes this year," said Dr. Nick Child, Cardiology Research Fellow, Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. "Our study focused on patients not deemed to be standalone catheter ablation candidates. Our Convergent Procedure results have been impressive in these persistent AF patients. Some of these patients were particularly difficult - with large left atrial volumes and up to 8-year histories of persistent AF - and the Convergent Procedure effectively met these challenges. Frankly, we were not expecting such strong results; yet 90% of patients were in sinus rhythm at one year."