The prevalence of LA/LAA sludge/thrombus in patients with AF undergoing a pre-PVI screening TEE is very low (<2%) and increases significantly with higher CHADS(2) scores. This suggests that a screening TEE before PVI should be performed in patients with a CHADS(2) score of >or=1, and in patients with a CHADS(2) score of 0 when the AF is persistent and therapeutic anticoagulation has not been maintained for 4 weeks before the procedure.

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had full access to all the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis".

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When considering national standards for reporting outcomes of all EP procedures, continued follow-up after discharge is important. In our cohort, half of major complications occurring within 30 days occurred after discharge. In addition, three-quarters of deaths within 30 days were not directly related to the procedure and caution should be used in using all-cause mortality as an outcome measure for EP procedures.