Earlier studies have shown a dose-dependent relationship between alcohol intake and incident atrial fibrillation (AF) as well as a causal link with several risk factors for AF such as hypertension, obesity and sleep apnea. However, the effect of drinking (alcohol) on post-ablation outcome such as arrhythmia recurrence, quality of life (QoL) and cognitive function in AF patients is unclear. Therefore, we aim to find the answer for a very frequently asked question, "is it safe to continue drinking alcohol (at the pre-ablation level) following catheter ablation OR should the intake be reduced for better outcome?", in this randomized trial.
AF patients that regularly consume >5 alcoholic drink (*12 g of pure alcohol/drink)/week
Paroxysmal or persistent AF
First catheter ablation History of alcohol-induced arrhythmia
Willing to sign the written informed consent
Binge drinkers (alcohol dependence)
Non-drinkers
LVEF <35%
Psychiatric conditions
Parallel
Study arm
BehavioralParticipants will be asked to completely abstain from drinking or consume 2 or less drinks per week for 8 months following catheter ablation
Arrhythmia recurrence
Arrhythmia recurrence across all AF types at 8 months after the ablation procedure, off- or on-antiarrhythmic drug (AAD)
Change in QoL
Change in QoL measured by AFEQT survey at baseline and 6 months
Change in cognitive function
Change in cognitive function measured by MoCA survey
Arrhythmia burden
Arrhythmia burden at follow-up
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