Sex differences in atrial fibrillation ablation in‐hospital outcomes from the National Inpatient Sample database 2016–2019

Background Research has shown mixed results when comparing in‐hospital complications following atrial fibrillation ablation in women compared to men. Objectives To better quantify sex differences and in‐hospital outcomes in atrial fibrillation ablation procedures and identify factors associated with poorer outcomes. Methods We queried the NIS database from 2016 to 2019 for hospitalizations with a primary diagnosis of atrial fibrillation ablation and excluded patients with any other arrhythmias, ICD/pacemaker placement. We assessed demographics, in‐hospital mortality, and complications of women compared to men. Results Admissions for atrial fibrillation were more common in females than males (849 050 vs. 815 665; p < .001). However, females were less likely to receive ablation (1.65% vs. 2.71%, OR: 0.60; 95% confidence interval: 0.57–0.64, p < .001), which persisted after adjusting for cardiomyopathy (adjusted OR: 0.61; 95% confidence interval: 0.58–0.65, p < .001). The primary outcome of in‐hospital mortality was not statistically different in univariate analysis (0.39% vs. 0.36%, OR: 1.09, 95% CI: 0.44–2.72, p = .84), finding that did not change when adjusted for comorbidities (adjusted OR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.36–2.49). The complication rate in hospitalized patients following ablation was 8.08%. The total unadjusted complication rate was higher for females than males (9.58% vs. 7.09%, p = .001); however, it was not significant when adjusted for risks (adjusted OR: 1.23, 95% CI: 0.99–1.53, p = .06). Conclusion Female sex is not associated with increased complications or death in a real‐world study of catheter ablation when results are adjusted for risks. However, females admitted with atrial fibrillation receive ablation less often than males during hospital admission.