Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine · Published 2026-08-05 · DOI 10.3389/fcvm.2026.1798578
Barbora Steklá, Květa Pelinková, Hana Benáková, Jan Šimek, Milan Dusík, Aleš Linhart, Štěpán Havránek
IntroductionGDF-15 (growth differentiation factor 15) is a protein from the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) cytokine family. In patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), it is a potent marker of bleeding adverse events in anticoagulated patients and a predictor of overall mortality. However, its level is affected by various conditions, including radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA). The study aimed to describe the dynamics of GDF-15 following a novel AF treatment approach, pulsed field ablation (PFA).MethodsThis prospective observational study enrolled 50 patients [median (IQR) age 63 (53; 71) years, 62% males] undergoing PFA and compared them with 50 patients [65 (57; 69) years, 64% males] post-RFCA.ResultsIn the PFA group, 30 (60%) patients had paroxysmal AF, compared with 20 (40%) patients in the RFCA group. The median (IQR) GDF-15 level at baseline was 943 (733; 1,148) ng/L. The median value recorded 24 h after PFA was 1,363 (901; 1,867) ng/L. No significant difference in values was observed between patients treated with RFCA and those treated with PFA. However, when comparing GDF-15 values in paroxysmal AF separately, significantly higher post-procedural GDF-15 levels (immediately post-ablation and in 24 h after procedure) were observed after PFA than RFCA: 963 (672; 1,266) vs. 630 (506; 804) ng/L with p < 0.001 and 1,363 (901; 1,960) vs. 843 (710; 1,195) ng/L, p < 0.01, respectively. No correlation was found between GDF-15 levels and procedural data.ConclusionGDF-15 levels are significantly affected by catheter ablation of AF, regardless of the ablation technology used.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
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Steklá, B., Pelinková, K., Benáková, H., et al. (2026). Growth differentiation factor 15 level changes in the early and late periods after radiofrequency and pulsed field catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2026.1798578