Cost-effectiveness of catheter ablation versus medical therapy for the treatment of atrial fibrillation in the United Kingdom.

Introduction: Research evidence has shown that catheter ablation is a safe and superior treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF) compared to medical therapy, but real-world practice has been slow to adopt an early interventional approach. This study aims to determine the cost effectiveness of catheter ablation compared to medical therapy from the perspective of the United Kingdom.

Methods: A patient-level Markov health-state transition model was used to conduct a cost-utility analysis.

The yield of tuberculosis contact investigation in low- and middle-income settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Contact investigation, the systematic evaluation of individuals in close contact with an infectious tuberculosis (TB) patient, is a key active case-finding strategy for global TB control. Better estimates of the yield of contact investigation can guide strategies to reduce the number of underreported and underdiagnosed TB cases, approximately three million cases per year globally. A systematic review (Prospero ID # CRD42019133380) and meta-analysis was conducted to update and enhance the estimates of the yield of TB contact investigation in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC).

Effectiveness of Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation Using Ablation Index Versus Second Generation Cryoballoon in the Treatment of Persistent Atrial Fibrillation: A Matching-Adjusted Indirect Comparison.

Introduction: Both radiofrequency (RF) and cryoballoon (CB) ablation are treatment options for persistent atrial fibrillation (PsAF). An important recent innovation in RF ablation is Ablation Index (AI), known also as the VISITAG SURPOINT™ Module, a composite lesion quality marker whose use has been shown to significantly reduce the incidence of acute and late pulmonary vein (PV) reconnection and the recurrence of atrial arrhythmias in PsAF. Due to a lack of direct comparative evidence between the latest generations of technologies, there is uncertainty regarding the best treatment option in PsAF.

Comparative effectiveness of catheter ablation devices in the treatment of atrial fibrillation: a network meta-analysis.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation is most commonly performed using radiofrequency (RF) and cryoballoon (CB) catheters. Ablation Index is a novel lesion-quality marker associated with improved outcomes in RF ablation. Due to lack of direct comparative evidence between the latest generations of technologies, there is uncertainty regarding the best treatment option.