Early catheter ablation (<12 months) significantly reduced the risk of atrial fibrillation recurrence compared with delayed ablation (>12 months) (RR 0.69; 95% CI 0.54-0.88; p=0.007).
Meta-Analysis (n=22,748)
Does early catheter ablation (<12 months) reduce AF recurrence compared with delayed ablation (>12 months) in patients with atrial fibrillation?
Early catheter ablation (within 12 months of diagnosis) significantly reduces the risk of atrial fibrillation recurrence, electrical cardioversion, and AF-related hospitalizations compared to delayed ablation.
Relative Risk: 0.69 (95% CI 0.54–0.88)
p-value: p=0.007
BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia worldwide. Catheter ablation (CA) is an effective therapy for symptomatic AF. Emerging evidence indicates that early CA may attenuate disease progression and reduce major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). There is a lack of high-quality pooled data comparing clinical outcomes of early versus delayed CA using a standardized diagnosis-to-ablation time. This meta-analysis evaluates whether early CA (12 months) after AF diagnosis is linked to differences in clinical outcomes, including AF/atrial arrhythmia recurrence, mortality, AF-related hospitalization, and MACCE. METHODS: A systematic literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and observational cohort studies until December 1, 2025, was conducted. The primary outcome was AF recurrence. RESULTS: A total of 10 studies including 22,748 patients were analyzed. For the primary outcome, early CA (12 months) (RR 0.69; 95% CI, 0.54-0.88; p = 0.007, I CONCLUSION: Early CA (12 months). Future randomized controlled trials are needed to evaluate potential long-term benefits and to identify patient subgroups most likely to benefit from early CA.
Bradach et al. (Mon,) conducted a meta-analysis in Atrial fibrillation (n=22,748). Early catheter ablation (<12 months) vs. Delayed catheter ablation (>12 months) was evaluated on AF recurrence (RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.54-0.88, p=0.007). Early catheter ablation (<12 months) significantly reduced the risk of atrial fibrillation recurrence compared with delayed ablation (>12 months) (RR 0.69; 95% CI 0.54-0.88; p=0.007).
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