Arrhythmias & electrophysiologyCohort study
Predictive value of early recurrence after atrial fibrillation ablation: A propensity-matched comparison between pulsed field ablation and radiofrequency ablation
- Prospective, multicenter, observational study
- consecutive patients
- propensity matching for baseline characteristics
Authors' conclusion
ER occurring during BP predicts LR in both PFA and RF ablation. In PFA, mER seems to be more predictive for LR than vER, suggesting that the BP after PFA could be shortened to 1 month.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with AF undergoing AF ablation with either pulsed field ablation (PFA) or radiofrequency (RF)consecutive patients enrolled, propensity matching yielded 117 matched pairs · PFA 184 · RF 250
- Participants
- 434 patients
- Exposure
- PFA vs RF
- PFAn = 184
- RFn = 250
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Incidence of ER (atrial arrhythmia lasting >30 seconds within 90 days after ablation) · within 90 days after ablation
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
LR in ER+ patients
- Late recurrence (LR) in ER+ patients: P = .279
Positive predictive value for LR, medium ER (mER) vs very ER (vER), in the PFA group (subgroup)
- mER
- 100.0%
- vER
- 50.0%
- P = .010
Positive predictive value for LR, vER vs mER, in the RF group (subgroup)
- vER
- 61.5%
- mER
- 71.4%
- P = .658
Original publication
Predictive value of early recurrence after atrial fibrillation ablation: A propensity-matched comparison between pulsed field ablation and radiofrequency ablation. Heart Rhythm. Published 15 April 2026. doi:10.1016/j.hrthm.2026.04.006
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it