The Association between Diagnosis-to-Ablation Time and the Recurrence of Atrial Fibrillation: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) is superior to antiarrhythmic drugs in maintaining sinus rhythm. Novel evidence suggests that increasing the time between the first diagnosis of AF and ablation, or diagnosis-to-ablation time (DAT), is a predictor for AF recurrence post-ablation.

Purpose: Our primary objective was to investigate the relationship between DAT and AF recurrence after a first ablation.