Risk of Stroke and Recurrence After AF Ablation in Patients With an Initial Event-Free Period of 12 Months.

Introduction: Because of the unclear prognostic effects of ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF), oral anticoagulation (OAC) is often continued after ablation even in asymptomatic patients. We sought to determine the frequency of stroke and AF recurrence in patients on and off therapeutic OAC 1 year after a successful AF ablation.

Methods And Results: Patients that underwent AF ablation and were free of AF 12 months after ablation were selected from our AF database.

Predictors for Progression of Atrial Fibrillation in Patients Awaiting Atrial Fibrillation Ablation.

Background: Success rates of atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation have been shown to be significantly lower for patients with persistent AF. However, little is known about the risk factors predicting progression to persistent AF in patients awaiting AF ablation.

Methods: We performed a retrospective, single-centre investigation of patients with paroxysmal AF at the time of placement on the ablation waiting list.