fig1

Figure 1. Flowchart of patient selection and inclusion in the proteomic analysis. Flow diagram illustrating the selection of patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (PerAF) who underwent ablation at Ruijin Hospital (Shanghai, China) between July and December 2024. Patients with a left atrial diameter (LAD) ranging from 40 to 50 mm were included whereas those with other arrhythmias (e.g., supraventricular tachycardia or atrial flutter) were excluded. Eligible patients (n = 177) were stratified according to SNRT. After propensity score matching, 56 patients were included in each group. Peripheral blood samples from five matched pairs were randomly selected for proteomic analysis. PerAF: Persistent atrial fibrillation; LAD: left atrial diameter; SNRT: sinus node recovery time.