Arrhythmias & electrophysiologyRandomised controlled trial
NURSE-Led Care in Patients Undergoing Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation: The NURSECAT-AF Randomized Trial
- single-center prospective randomized clinical trial
Authors' conclusion
Nurse-led, integrated care for patients undergoing AF ablation improves the quality of life, clinical outcomes, and risk factor management at 1 year postprocedure. These findings support the incorporation of structured nurse-led interventions in the peri-ablation care pathway.
Study context
- Population
- Consecutive patients without heart failure referred for first-time atrial fibrillation (AF) ablationrandomized (33 per group) of 116 patients screened, mean age 63±10 years, 67% male
- Participants
- 66 patients
- Comparison
- usual care with nurse-led care (NLC)
- usual caren = 33reference
- NLCn = 33
- Primary endpoint
- Quality of life (arrhythmia-specific scale in tachycardia and arrhythmia)
- Follow-up
- 12 months postablation
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
Baseline-adjusted difference
+4 points
95% CI 1.8–6.3
P = 0.0007
Secondary outcomes
| Outcome | odds ratio (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| Arrhythmia recurrence · 12 months | 0.2 (0.05–0.78) | |
| Emergency visits · 12 months | 0.2 (0.06–0.66) | |
| 0.050.21520Odds ratio (log scale) |
Symptom burden, satisfaction, disease knowledge
- NLC: lower symptom burden, higher satisfaction, and greater disease knowledge
Risk factor profile
- NLC: higher rates of smoking cessation, engagement in regular physical activity, and weight optimization
Obstructive sleep apnea diagnosis
- Nurse-led management enabled more frequently diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea
Original publication
NURSE-Led Care in Patients Undergoing Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation: The NURSECAT-AF Randomized Trial. Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol. Published 26 February 2026. doi:10.1161/circep.125.014149
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it