Arrhythmias & electrophysiologyResearch article
Patient Characteristics and Utilization Patterns of Ambulatory Atrial Fibrillation Ablation in the United States
- Nationwide Ambulatory Surgery Sample datasets (2020-2022)
- age-standardized rates using the 2000 U.S. standard population
- U.S. Census data used as the population denominator
Authors' conclusion
Ambulatory AF ablation rates increased substantially across all demographic groups between 2020 and 2022. However, utilization was significantly lower in women and racial/ethnic minorities.
Study context
- Population
- Patients aged ≥18 years undergoing ambulatory atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation in the United States, 2020–2022weighted ambulatory AF ablation encounters
- Participants
- 326,032 patients
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Patient characteristics
Mean age
65.7 years
Women
35%
White
87.5%
Further findings
| Outcome | Values |
|---|---|
| ASR by sex · 2020 to 2022 | Men ASR 36.4 to 54.1 per 100,000 · Change +48.4% · Women ASR 17.1 to 26.0 per 100,000 · Change +52.3% |
| Procedures by income quartile · Over the 3 years | Wealthiest income quartile 32.8% · Poorest quartile 17.2% |
- ASR by sex — Ablation rates among men vs women
- >2-fold higher
National ASR of ambulatory AF ablation · 2020 to 2022
- ASR 2020
- 26.4 per 100,000
- ASR 2022
- 39.5 per 100,000
- Increase
- 49.5%
ASR by race/ethnicity
- Higher ASR among Whites
- 2.9 to 3.8 higher ASR per 100,000 population
- No single racial/ethnic minority group was disproportionately more affected than the others
Safety
In-hospital mortality · 3-year period
- Deaths
- 13
Original publication
Patient Characteristics and Utilization Patterns of Ambulatory Atrial Fibrillation Ablation in the United States. JACC Adv. Published 22 April 2026. doi:10.1016/j.jacadv.2026.102741
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it