Implementation of a screening and management pathway for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in patients with atrial fibrillation.

ABSTRACT:

Aims

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) negatively impacts the efficacy of heart rhythm control treatments in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Although COPD is recognized as a risk factor for AF, practical guidance about how and when to screen for COPD is not available. Herein, we describe the implementation of an integrated screening and management pathway for COPD into the existing pre-ablation work-up in an AF outpatient clinic infrastructure.

Methods and results

Consecutive unselected patients accepted for AF catheter ablation in the Maastricht University Medical Center+ were prospectively screened for airflow limitation using handheld (micro)spirometry at the pre-ablation outpatient clinic supervised by an AF nurse. Patients with results suggestive of a

SUBMITTER: van der Velden RMJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10351574 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature