Key result
General anesthesia did not improve freedom from atrial arrhythmia at 1 year compared to sedation, but resulted in longer procedure times and higher costs.
Why the study?
The strategy of anesthesia used during catheter ablation of AF remains controversial.
Does general anesthesia improve freedom from recurrence of atrial fibrillation at 1 year compared to sedation in patients undergoing their first ablation for persistent atrial fibrillation?
Observational (n=351)
No
Does general anesthesia improve freedom from recurrence of atrial fibrillation at 1 year compared to sedation in patients undergoing their first ablation for persistent atrial fibrillation?
General anesthesia does not improve 1-year freedom from atrial arrhythmia compared to sedation for AF ablation, but is associated with longer procedure times and higher costs.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Similar arrhythmia freedom with sedation; supports preferring it over GA and leaves open prospective RCT confirmation.
BACKGROUND: The strategy of anesthesia used during ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) remains controversial. This study aimed to compare sedation with general anesthesia (GA) for catheter ablation of AF. HYPOTHESIS: The presence of AF is associated with an increased risk of stroke and heart failure and decreased quality of life and survival. METHODS: We carried out a retrospective single-centered study with 351 patients undergoing the first ablation procedure for AF under sedation or GA. The main outcome was freedom from recurrence of AF at 1 year. The total time of staying at the ablation laboratory and procedure cost were also calculated. RESULTS: Freedom from atrial arrhythmia and ablation time did not differ between AF patients under sedation and GA (77.9% vs 79.9% and 42.27 ± 9.84 minutes vs 41.51 ± 9.27 minutes, respectively), while the total procedure time and cost were lower in patients who underwent sedation than GA (171.39 ± 45.09 minutes vs 202.92 ± 43.85 and 8.00 ± 7.02 CNY vs 8.79 ± 11.63 CNY, respectively). CONCLUSION: GA is not superior to sedation, in terms of ablation time and freedom from atrial arrhythmia at 1 year, whereas patients with GA had more anesthesia time and procedure cost than sedation.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Wang et al. (2020) conducted an observational in Symptomatic atrial fibrillation (n=351). General anesthesia vs. Sedation was evaluated on Freedom from atrial arrhythmias at 12 months (p=0.818). General anesthesia did not improve freedom from atrial arrhythmia at 1 year compared to sedation, but resulted in longer procedure times and higher costs.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: