Arrhythmias & electrophysiologyResearch article
Sex differences in recurrence after linear ablation for persistent atrial fibrillation
- retrospectively analyzed
- inverse probability of treatment weighting
- prespecified subgroup analyses
- 1:1 nearest-neighbor propensity score matching
Authors' conclusion
In this large PeAF cohort treated with the 2C3L strategy, female sex was independently associated with earlier and more frequent postablation atrial arrhythmia recurrence.
Study context
- Population
- Patients undergoing first-time "2C3L" ablation (pulmonary vein isolation plus left atrial roof, mitral isthmus, and cavotricuspid isthmus lines) for PeAF between December 2020 and August 2023Women comprised 826 patients (28.8%)
- Participants
- 2,864 patients
- Comparison
- Female sex vs male sex
- Womenn = 826
- Outcome
- Atrial arrhythmia recurrence beyond the 3-month blanking period
- Follow-up
- Median 357 days (interquartile range 171-724 days)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Women vs MenHazard ratio (95% CI)P value
fully adjusted Cox model
1.24(1.07–1.43)
P = 0.003inverse probability of treatment weighting analysis
1.32(1.12–1.54)
P = 0.0011:1 nearest-neighbor propensity score matching (826 pairs)
1.32(1.12–1.54)
P = 0.001Further findings
Restricted mean survival time, days
| Outcome | Women | Men | difference (days) (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted mean survival time (truncation at 1095 days) | 698.2 | 759.4 | −61.2 (−100.0 to −22.4) | P = 0.002 | |
| −150−100−50050Difference, days (linear scale) |
Original publication
Sex differences in recurrence after linear ablation for persistent atrial fibrillation. Heart Rhythm. Published 25 February 2026. doi:10.1016/j.hrthm.2026.02.025
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it