SynthesisEuropace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology2023
Catheter ablation improves cardiovascular outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in 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, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 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
34 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 59 citations in OpenAlex.
- Risk and protective factors for stroke and transient ischaemic attack in patients with atrial fibrillation: an umbrella review of meta-analyses.Heart (British Cardiac Society) · 2026Pooled it
- Impact of Catheter Ablation on LVEF in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation and Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction: A Systematic Review.Arquivos brasileiros de cardiologia · 2026Pooled it
- Assessment of Redundant Meta-Analyses on Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation in Patients with Heart Failure.Reviews in cardiovascular medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Safety of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation during hospitalization for acute heart failure: a nationwide analysis from the jROAD-dpc database.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 · 2026Article
- Catheter Ablation Versus Medical Therapy in Atrial Fibrillation With Heart Failure With Reduced or Mildly Reduced Ejection Fraction: A GRADE-Assessed Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of arrhythmia · 2026Article
- Educational level and cardiovascular outcomes in patients hospitalized with first-detected atrial fibrillation: a Swedish nationwide cohort study.BMC cardiovascular disorders · 2026Observational
- Left atrial epicardial adipose tissue volume quantification by CMR aids identification of patients at low risk for left atrial cardiomyopathy.Clinical research in cardiology : official journal of the German Cardiac Society · 2026Article
- Improvement in cardiovascular function after atrial fibrillation ablation in heart failure: association with ECG and echocardiographic variables.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 · 2026Article
- Pulsed field ablation for atrial fibrillation in patients with heart failure: insight from the ATHENA registrys.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 · 2026Article
- Timing of Atrial Fibrillation Ablation and Outcomes in Elderly Patients with HFrEF: A Propensity-Matched Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Updated Meta-Analysis of Catheter Ablation Versus Medical Therapy in Atrial Fibrillation With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction.Journal of arrhythmia · 2025Article
- Patterns of comorbidities, clinical course, and impact of the ABC Pathway for Integrated Care in patients with atrial fibrillation: a report from the prospective Optimal Thromboprophylaxis in Elderly Chinese Patients with Atrial Fibrillation (ChiOTEAF) Registry.European heart journal. Quality of care & clinical outcomes · 2025Article
- Association between the baseline health status and long-term outcomes after catheter ablation for 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 · 2025Article
- Physiological pacing: mechanisms, clinical indications, and perspectives.European heart journal · 2025Review
- JCS/JHRS 2024 Guideline Focused Update on Management of Cardiac Arrhythmias.Journal of arrhythmia · 2025Article
- Atrial Fibrillation: A Review.JAMA · 2025Review
- Predictors of Improvement in Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation Undergoing Catheter Ablation: Systematic Review.Arrhythmia & electrophysiology review · 2025Review
- Catheter Ablation in Atrial Fibrillation: Recent Advances.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Spotlight on the 2024 ESC/EACTS management of atrial fibrillation guidelines: 10 novel key aspects.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 · 2024Review
- Sex differences in atrial fibrillation ablation outcomes in patients with heart failure.Journal of interventional cardiac electrophysiology : an international journal of arrhythmias and pacing · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
14 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
aimsThe effect of atrial fibrillation catheter ablation on cardiovascular outcomes in heart failure is an important outstanding research question. We undertook a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing ablation to medical therapy in patients with AF and heart failure. METHODS AND
resultsWe systematically identified all trials comparing catheter ablation to medical therapy in patients with heart failure and atrial fibrillation. The pre-specified primary endpoint was all-cause mortality in trials with at least 2 years of follow-up. The secondary endpoint was heart failure hospitalization. Sensitivity analyses were performed for trials with any follow-up and trials deemed at low risk of bias. Eight trials (1390 patients) were included. Seven hundred and seven patients were randomized to catheter ablation and 683 to medical therapy. In the primary analysis (three trials, n = 977), catheter ablation reduced mortality compared with medical therapy [relative risk (RR): 0.61, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.44 to 0.84, P = 0.003]. Catheter ablation also reduced heart failure hospitalizations compared with medical therapy (RR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.49-0.74, P < 0.001). The effect on stroke was not statistically significant (RR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.28-1.37, P = 0.237). There was low heterogeneity between studies. Sensitivity analyses were consistent with the primary analyses.
conclusionIn patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure, catheter ablation reduces mortality and the occurrence of heart failure hospitalizations.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.