Key result
3C4L ablation linked to ~48% lower arrhythmia recurrence vs. 2C3L at 24 months.
Why the study?
Cost and readmissions differences between AF ablation using the THERMOCOOL SMARTTOUCH SF radiofrequency catheter and the Arctic Front Advance cryoballoon catheter were unclear.
Cohort (n=105)
No
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
3C4L ablation was associated with lower recurrence; leaves open whether randomized trials confirm benefit or alter practice.
Aim: To compare cost and readmissions among atrial fibrillation (AF) patients undergoing ablation using the THERMOCOOL SMARTTOUCH™ SF (STSF) radiofrequency catheter versus the Arctic Front Advance™ (AFA) cryoballoon catheter. Patients & methods: The Premier Healthcare Database was used for the study purposes. Propensity score matching was used to match patients in the two groups. Costs and readmissions were assessed. A regression model was used for outcome assessment. Results: After propensity matching, 2767 patients were identified in each of the STSF and AFA cohorts. In the matched cohort, STSF patients had significantly lower supply costs than AFA patients. STSF patients had significantly lower 4–12-month AF-related inpatient readmissions compared with AFA patients (2.58% vs 3.99%; p = 0.0402). Costs of care summing index procedure and readmission costs were also lower for the STSF patients versus AFA patients. Conclusions: Patients who underwent AF ablation using the STSF catheter versus the AFA catheter had lower cost and AF-related readmissions.
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Berman et al. (2022) conducted a cohort in Persistent atrial fibrillation (n=105). 3C4L radiofrequency ablation strategy vs. 2C3L radiofrequency ablation strategy was evaluated on Arrhythmia-free survival at 24 months (HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.30-0.90, p=0.020). The 3C4L radiofrequency ablation strategy reduced the risk of arrhythmia recurrence by 48% and improved 24-month arrhythmia-free survival compared to the 2C3L strategy.
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