
The Lead Episode 141: A Discussion of Impact of GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Therapy on Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence After Catheter Ablation in Obese Patients: A Real-World Data Analysis
From The Lead Podcast presented by Heart Rhythm Society by The Lead Podcast presented by Heart Rhythm Society
March 19, 2026 · 20 min · Season 4 · Episode 141
About this episode
This episode discusses the impact of GLP-1 receptor agonist therapy on atrial fibrillation recurrence in obese patients after catheter ablation.
Join Digital Education Committee member and podcast host Melissa E. Middeldorp, MPH, PhD, along with this week's guest contributors,Sheldon Litwin, MD from the Medical University of South Carolina and Abhishek Deshmuckh, MBBS from the Mayo Clinic for this week's episode. This real-world retrospective cohort study evaluated whether glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) therapy is associated with improved outcomes after atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation in obese patients using a large multicenter electronic health record database (TriNetX). After propensity matching 6,700 patients (3,350 GLP-1RA users and 3,350 non-users), GLP-1RA therapy was associated with significantly lower AF recurrence, progression to permanent AF, cardiovascular and heart failure hospitalizations, and all-cause mortality over a median ~2-year follow-up, although repeat ablation rates were unchanged. The authors propose that benefits may be mediated through weight-loss, reduction in systemic inflammation and epicardial fat, improved metabolic control, and potential direct atrial effects, but emphasize that causal inference is limited due to observational design and lack of weight-loss trajectory…
People in this episode
Host: Melissa E. Middeldorp, MPH, PhD
Guests: Sheldon Litwin, MD, Abhishek Deshmuckh, MBBS
Topics covered
- GLP-1 receptor agonist therapy
- atrial fibrillation
- catheter ablation
- obesity
- real-world data analysis
Keywords
- GLP-1RA
- atrial fibrillation
- ablation
- obesity
- real-world study
- health outcomes
- cardiovascular hospitalization
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Medical University of South Carolina, Mayo Clinic
Products: glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA)
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