SynthesisPloS one2016
Efficacy of Short-Term Antiarrhythmic Drugs Use after Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation-A Systematic Review with Meta-Analyses and Trial Sequential Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 33 citations in OpenAlex.
- Guideline
- 2023 ACC/AHA/ACCP/HRS Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Atrial Fibrillation: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines.Journal of the American College of Cardiology · 2024Guideline
- Percutaneous coronary intervention versus cardiac bypass surgery for left main coronary artery disease: A trial sequential analysis.Medicine · 2017Pooled it
- Comparison of the effectiveness and safety of dronedarone and amiodarone for preventing recurrence after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation: an open-label randomized controlled trial.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2026Trial
- Efficacy and safety of dronedarone in patients with a prior ablation for atrial fibrillation/flutter: Insights from the ATHENA study.Clinical cardiology · 2020Trial
- New recommendations for rhythm control-What has changed in the 2023 ACC/AHA/ACCP/HRS and 2024 ESC guidelines for atrial fibrillation, and where does dronedarone fit in?American heart journal plus : cardiology research and practice · 2025Article
- Comparing the Impact of Different Antiarrhythmic Classes on Clinical Outcomes Following Atrial Fibrillation Catheter Ablation.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- 2024 European Heart Rhythm Association/Heart Rhythm Society/Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society/Latin American Heart Rhythm Society expert consensus statement on catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation.Journal of arrhythmia · 2024Article
- Incidence of All-Cause, Cardiovascular, and Atrial Fibrillation-Related Hospitalizations: Focus on Antiarrhythmic Drugs.JACC. Advances · 2024Article
- 2024 European Heart Rhythm Association/Heart Rhythm Society/Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society/Latin American Heart Rhythm Society expert consensus statement on catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation.Journal of interventional cardiac electrophysiology : an international journal of arrhythmias and pacing · 2024Article
- 2024 European Heart Rhythm Association/Heart Rhythm Society/Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society/Latin American Heart Rhythm Society expert consensus statement on catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2024Article
- Selected Advances in the Anti-arrhythmic Management of Atrial Fibrillation: 2023.The Journal of innovations in cardiac rhythm management · 2024Article
- Blanking period antiarrhythmic drugs after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2023Review
- Primary results of the Spanish Cryoballoon Ablation Registry: acute and long-term outcomes of the RECABA study.Scientific reports · 2021Observational
- Physical activity, patient-reported symptoms, and clinical events: Insights into postprocedural recovery from personal digital devices.Cardiovascular digital health journal · 2021Article
- Observational
- Knots to untie: anticoagulant and antiarrhythmic therapy after ablation for atrial fibrillation.European heart journal supplements : journal of the European Society of Cardiology · 2020Article
- Immunopathogenesis and biomarkers of recurrent atrial fibrillation following ablation therapy in patients with preexisting atrial fibrillation.Expert review of cardiovascular therapy · 2019Review
- Mechanisms and clinical significance of early recurrences of atrial arrhythmias after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation.World journal of cardiology · 2016Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe efficacy of short-term antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) use compared with no-AADs prescription after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) in preventing atrial arrhythmia recurrence is uncertain.
methodsWe searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library through December 2015 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) which evaluated the efficacy of short-term AADs use compared with no-AADs prescription after AF ablation in preventing atrial arrhythmia recurrence. The primary outcome was labeled as early atrial arrhythmia recurrence within 3 months after ablation. Secondary outcome was defined as late recurrence after 3 months of ablation. Random-effects model or fixed-effects model was used to estimate relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
resultsSix RCTs with 2,667 patients were included into this meta-analysis. Compared with no-AADs administration after AF ablation, short-term AADs use was associated with significant reduction of early atrial arrhythmia recurrence (RR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.52-0.87; p = 0.003). Trial sequential analysis (TSA) showed that the cumulative Z-curve crossed the trial sequential monitoring boundary for benefit, establishing sufficient and conclusive evidence. However, compared with no-AADs prescription, short-term AADs use after AF ablation didn't significantly reduce the risk of late atrial arrhythmia recurrence (RR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.83-1.03; p = 0.15). TSA supported this result; meanwhile the estimated required information size (1,486 patients) was also met.
conclusionShort-term use of AADs after AF ablation can significantly decrease the risk of early atrial arrhythmia recurrence but not lead to corresponding reduction in risk of late atrial arrhythmia recurrence.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.