Arrhythmias & electrophysiologyCohort study
Impact of wait times for atrial fibrillation ablation on cumulative health care costs
- observational cohort study
Authors' conclusion
Patients receiving AF ablation experience distinct phases of cost accumulation, and wait times for ablation have a limited contribution to cumulative costs.
Study context
- Population
- Patients who received atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation in Ontario, Canada, between April 2016 and March 2023recipients of de novo AF ablation
- Participants
- 8,403 patients
- Exposure
- Wait times as drivers of health care costs by phase
- Outcome
- Per-patient cumulative health care costs, by phase of cost
- Follow-up
- From AF diagnosis to 1 year after ablation
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Diagnosis-to-ablation timeEstimate (95% CI)
preablation costs; significantly associated with increased costs
RR 1.02 per month(1.02–1.02)
postablation costs; positively associated, smaller magnitude
RR 1.001 per month increase of diagnosis-to-ablation time(1.000–1.001)
Each row per its own increment, as printed
- Median preablation cost
- $15,353 ($8424-$27,776)
- Median 1-year postablation cost
- $19,929 ($16,595-$25,702)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Preablation costs by medical comorbidity, including heart failure
| Comparison | RR (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| Medical comorbidity, including heart failure | 1.28 (1.24–1.33) | |
| 0.512Relative risk (log scale) |
- Preablation costs by medical comorbidity, including heart failure: preablation costs; also significantly associated with increased postablation costs
Diagnosis-to-ablation time
- Median diagnosis-to-ablation time
- 29 months (interquartile range 16-50)
Original publication
Impact of wait times for atrial fibrillation ablation on cumulative health care costs. Heart Rhythm. Published 26 February 2026. doi:10.1016/j.hrthm.2026.02.031
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it