(HealthDay)—For patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and left ventricular systolic dysfunction, cardiomyopathy etiology impacts long term outcomes of catheter ablation, according to a study published online Dec. 28 in the Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology.

Sandeep Prabhu, M.B.B.S., from Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, and examined the impact of cardiomyopathy etiology on long-term outcomes following for AF. Participants included 101 patients with known as a cause of cardiomyopathy (KHD; 77 patients) and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM; 24 patients). The patients had left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <45 percent and underwent AF ablation from 2002 to 2014.

The researchers found that AF control was greater in the IDCM group after a mean follow-up of 36 ± 23 months (82 percent, versus 50 percent in KHD; P < 0.01). IDCM correlated with long-term AF control on multivariate analysis (P = 0.033). At follow-up, the IDCM group had less functional impairment (P = 0.005) and improved LVEF (P < 0.001). Super responders, with EF improvement of more than 15 percent, were mainly found in the IDCM group (94 versus 6 percent; P < 0.001), with greater AF control (89 versus 61 percent; P < 0.001). The KHD group had significantly higher all-cause mortality (17 versus 1.3 percent; P = 0.002).

"IDCM was associated with greater AF control, and improvement in symptoms and LVEF compared to with KHD post AF ablation," the authors write.

One author disclosed financial ties to the medical device and medical technology industries.