A randomized comparison of comprehensive weight loss intervention vs. usual care on recurrences of atrial fibrillation in obese patients after catheter ablation: HOBIT-AF trial.

What was studied

The HOBIT-AF trial tested a complex weight loss programme. It was for obese people after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation, or AF. The programme ran for 15 months, from 3 to 18 months after the procedure. People were assigned by chance to the programme or to usual care. The main outcome was the change in AF burden. It was measured with 14-day Holter monitoring. 167 people took part: 85 in the active group and 82 in the control group. Their average age was 59 years.

What they found

The active group lost 6.8 on average, as a share of initial body weight. Metabolic measures improved too. The change in AF burden was 0.6 in the active group. It was -0.9 in the control group. Recurrence-free survival was similar between the groups: 70.4 versus 69.6.

What it means for patients

The authors say weight loss helped the metabolic profile of these patients. They had mostly paroxysmal AF after ablation. They say it did not reduce AF recurrence compared with controls. They say low AF burden after the earlier ablation may limit further gains.

Why it is not certain yet

The authors say low AF burden after ablation may have limited further gains. Most people had paroxysmal AF. The trial had 167 people. A single trial can only show so much.

Source

A randomized comparison of comprehensive weight loss intervention vs. usual care on recurrences of atrial fibrillation in obese patients after catheter ablation: HOBIT-AF trial.

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