Postoperative AF patients have an eightfold increased risk of developing AF in the future, and a doubled long-term cardiovascular mortality.

Aims Catheter ablation is considered the treatment of choice for many tachyarrhythmias, but convincing ‘real-world’ data on efficacy and safety are lacking. Using Swedish national registry data, the ablation spectrum, procedural characteristics, as well as ablation efficacy and reported adverse events are reported. Methods and Results Consecutive patients (≥18 years of age) undergoing catheter ablation in Sweden between 01 January 2006 and 31 December 2015 were included in the study. Follow-up (repeat ablation and vital status) was collected through 31 December 2016. A total of 26 642 patients (57 ± 15 years, 62% men), undergoing a total of 34 428 ablation procedures were included in the study. In total, 4034 accessory pathway/Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome (12%), 7358 AV-nodal re-entrant tachycardia (21%), 1813 atrial tachycardia (5.2%), 5481 typical atrial flutter (16%), 11 916 atrial fibrillation (AF, 35%), 2415 AV-nodal (7.0%), 581 premature ventricular contraction (PVC, 1.7%), and 964 ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablations (2.8%) were performed. Median follow-up time was 4.7 years (interquartile range 2.7–7.0). The spectrum of treated arrhythmias changed over time, with a gradual increase in AF, VT, and PVC ablation ( P < 0.001). Decreasing procedural times and utilization of fluoroscopy with time, were seen for all arrhythmia types. The rates of repeat ablation differed between ablation types, with the highest repeat ablation seen in AF (41% within 3 years). The rate of reported adverse events was low ( n = 595, 1.7%). Death in the immediate period following ablation was rare ( n = 116, 0.34%). Conclusion Catheter ablations have shifted towards more complex procedures over the past decade. Fluoroscopy time has markedly decreased and the efficacy of catheter ablation seems to improve for AF.

Postoperative AF is an age-independent risk factor for late mortality in CABG patients, explained by an increased risk of cardiovascular death.

Abstract. Almroth H, Andersson T, Fengsrud E, Friberg L, Linde P, Rosenqvist M, Englund A (Ö

Objectives. To study pre-and postoperative atrial fibrillation and its long-term effects in a cohort of aortocoronary bypass surgery patients. Design. Altogether 615 patients undergoing aortocoronary bypass graft surgery in 1999-2000 were studied. Forty-four (7%) had preoperative atrial fibrillation. Postoperative atrial fibrillation occurred in 165/615 patients (27%) while 406/615 patients (66%) had no atrial fibrillation. After a median follow-up of 15 years, symptoms and medication in survivors were recorded, and cause of death in the deceased was obtained. Results. Death due to cerebral ischaemia was most common in the pre-and postoperative atrial fibrillation groups (7% and 5%, respectively, v. 2% among those without atrial fibrillation, p ¼ .038), as were death due to heart failure (18% and 14%, v. 7%, p ¼ .007) and sudden death (9% and 5%, v. 2%, p ¼ .029). The presence of pre-or postoperative atrial fibrillation was an independent risk factor for late mortality (hazard ratios 1.47 (1.02-2.12) and 1.28 (1.01-1.63), respectively). Conclusions. Patients with pre-or postoperative atrial fibrillation undergoing aortocoronary bypass surgery have increased long-term mortality and risk of cerebral ischemic and cardiovascular death compared with patients in sinus rhythm. ARTICLE HISTORY