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The decision to discontinue anticoagulation after successful atrial fibrillation ablation remains controversial due to the risk of late asymptomatic recurrences, highlighting the need for individualized risk assessment.
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This editorial highlights the clinical dilemma of discontinuing anticoagulation after successful atrial fibrillation ablation, emphasizing the need for individualized patient assessment and continuous monitoring.
Long-term maintenance of sinus rhythm (SR) after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) has remained an open issue awaiting further relevant data. It is of paramount importance as our everyday decisions on discontinuing anticoagulation after ablation rest on the belief in the absence of clinically significant asymptomatic AF episodes and constant SR for the rest of the patient's life. Both aspects are difficult to ascertain, for the tools of truly continuous ECG monitoring are not comfortably applicable, and routine follow-up tends to thin out beyond 1 year in asymptomatic patients without apparent arrhythmia recurrences.
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Martin Fiala (2010) conducted an editorial in Atrial Fibrillation. Anticoagulation discontinuation after AF ablation was evaluated. The decision to discontinue anticoagulation after successful atrial fibrillation ablation remains controversial due to the risk of late asymptomatic recurrences, highlighting the need for individualized risk assessment.
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