Results
A total of 94 patients were included in our study, from a population of 99 patients that were initially screened. The 5 patients that were excluded did not provide research study consent and thus were not included. Demographic data for the study population including age, gender, race, body mass index, and pertinent comorbidities are shown in Table 1 . The mean age in our study population was 62.1 ± 9.8 years. The patients were predominantly male (78.7%) and Caucasian (60.6%). Our “treatment group” was comprised of 34 patients that received dexamethasone, and 60 patients in the control group (no dexamethasone).
The rates of AF and atrial flutter recurrence, defined as episodes lasting greater than 30 seconds, were not statistically different between the two groups. A total of 13 patients (21.6%) in the control group and 7 patients (20.6%) in the experimental group developed recurrence within the first 3 months, a p-value of 1.00. At 3 months to 1 year, 13 patients in the control group (21.6%) and 7 patients (20.6%) in the experimental group had developed recurrence. The rates of direct current cardioversion (DCCV) in these groups within the first 3 months were also not significantly different (Table 2 ). Within the control group, 8 out of 60 (13.3%) patients required DCCV within the first 3 months compared to 4 out of 34 (11.8%) patients in the experimental group, a p-value of 1.00. Similarly, at 3 months to 1 year, there was not a significant difference in the rates of DCCV between the two groups with 7 patients (11.7%) in the control group and 3 patients (8.8%) in the experimental group (Table 3 ).
Within the control and experimental groups 38 out of 60 patients (63.3%) and 20 out of 34 patients (58.8%), respectively, were prescribed an antiarrhythmic agent within 3 months of their catheter ablation procedure. There was not a statistically significant difference in the administration of antiarrhythmic agents between these groups with a p-value of 0.67. At 3 months to 1 year, there was no statistically significant difference in the administration of antiarrhythmic agents between the control and experimental groups (Table 3 ). Rates of antiarrhythmic drug administration in the control and experimental groups were 35.6% (21 out of 60 patients) and 44.1% (15 out of 34 patients), respectively (p-value 0.51).