BACKGROUND: Deep analgosedation (DAS) or general anesthesia (GA) is mandatory for pulsed-field ablation (PFA) of atrial fibrillation (AF). In contrast to DAS, GA (conventional or total intravenous anesthesia [TIVA]) requires airway management. To find the optimal sedation regimen, this study compared ketamine-remimazolam DAS and propofol-opioid TIVA to propofol-opioid DAS, focusing on sedation-related adverse events. METHODS: Patients indicated for AF catheter ablation were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to (1) DAS using intermittent propofol-opioid boluses (arm P), (2) continuous remimazolam-ketamine DAS (arm R), or (3) continuous propofol-opioid TIVA with secured airways (arm TIVA). Catheter ablation was performed using the FARAPULSE system (Boston Scientific, MA, USA). The major exclusion criterion was obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. The primary endpoint was defined as a composite of hypoxemia, hypotensive, or hypertensive events requiring intervention or leading to procedure discontinuation. Secondary endpoints included hemodynamic instability events, procedure time, serious adverse events, and patient satisfaction. RESULTS: One-hundred and twenty-seven patients (mean age 62.9 ± 10.3 years, 35.1% female, 47.2% with paroxysmal AF) were enrolled and randomized to the P (N = 42), R (N = 43) or TIVA (N = 42) arms. The primary endpoint occurred in 85.7% of P pts., 27.9% of R pts., and 66.7% of TIVA pts. (P < 0.001), driven by hypoxemia in the P arm (100% of pts. with the primary endpoint) and by hypotension in the TIVA arm (100%). The R arm showed a similar distribution of hypoxemia (50%) and hypotensive (66.7%) events. No differences were observed in mean procedural times, rates of serious adverse events, and assessment of patient satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: In PFA procedures for AF, remimazolam-ketamine DAS was superior to propofol-opioid regimens (either boluses or continuous) and had the lowest risk of hypoxemia and hypotensive events. More than 80% of patients undergoing conventional propofol-opioid analgosedation experienced hypoxemia.

Cardiocenter 3rd Faculty of Medicine Charles University Prague and University Hospital Kralovske Vinohrady Prague Czech Republic

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine 3rd Faculty of Medicine Charles University Prague and University Hospital Kralovske Vinohrady Prague Czech Republic

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine 3rd Faculty of Medicine Charles University Prague and University Hospital Kralovske Vinohrady Prague Czech Republic CZECH REPUBLIC

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