Does Eliminating Coffee Avoid Fibrillation?

Given both the increasing population impact of atrial fibrillation (AF) and the widespread consumption of coffee in society, determining an associated benefit or risk of coffee consumption on AF is of great clinical relevance. This pilot study will evaluate the effect of randomly assigning participants undergoing electrical cardioversion to coffee abstinence or coffee consumption over a 6 month period. This pilot study will provide the first, randomized evaluation of coffee on AF outcomes and will provide important information on whether or not coffee has any effect on AF recurrence.

The purpose of this study is to assess how abstinence of coffee compared to continued consumption affects recurrent atrial fibrillation (AF) following electrical cardioversion. As one of the most consumed beverages in the world, whether coffee has any effect on health outcomes is of considerable interest to physicians, scientists, and individual consumers. While significant data exist on the potential impact of coffee on many cardiometabolic parameters, there is conflicting data on any role of coffee on AF.

Most studies so far have been observational in nature, limiting how much insight there is on the role of coffee on AF. This study proposes to directly compare AF outcomes for patients with AF that abstain from coffee versus those that continue coffee consumption.

A total of 200 AF patients undergoing electrical cardioversion will be enrolled in this study (100 per arm), and followed for up to 6 months post cardioversion. Differences in AF recurrence, symptoms, and development/recurrence of other arrhythmias will be compared between the two groups.