Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38619577›Full record

ArticleClinical research in cardiology : official journal of the German Cardiac Society2025

Mortality and rehospitalization in patients with pre-existing implantable pacemakers undergoing catheter ablation are related to increased comorbidity burden-data from the German Ablation Registry.

Gerrit Frommeyer, Florian Reinke, Johannes Brachmann, Thorsten Lewalter, Roland Richard Tilz, Stephan Willems, Florian Straube, Ibrahim Akin, Patrick Lugenbiel, Matthias Hochadel and 2 more

Open access · hybridAbstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical research in cardiology : official journal of the German Cardiac Society, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 27% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors at 8 institutions in 2 countries.

Gerrit FrommeyerClinic for Cardiology II - Electrophysiology, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer Campus 1, 48149, Münster, Germany. gerrit.frommeyer@ukmuenster.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1431-9886
Florian ReinkeClinic for Cardiology II - Electrophysiology, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer Campus 1, 48149, Münster, Germany.
Johannes BrachmannMedical School REGIOMED, Coburg, Germany, and University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia.
Thorsten LewalterDepartment of Medicine, Cardiology and Intensive Care, Hospital Munich-Thalkirchen, Munich, Germany.
Roland Richard TilzDepartment of Rhythmology, University Heart Center Lübeck, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck, Germany.
Stephan WillemsDepartment of Cardiology, Asklepios Klinik St. Georg, Hamburg, Germany.
Florian StraubeDepartment of Cardiology and Internal Intensive Care Medicine, Heart Center Munich-Bogenhausen - Munich Municipal Hospital Group, Munich, Germany.
Ibrahim AkinDepartment of Cardiology, Angiology, Haemostaseology and Medical Intensive Care, University Medical Centre Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, European Center for AngioScience (ECAS), and German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) Partner Site Heidelberg/Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
Patrick LugenbielDepartment of Cardiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Heidelberg/Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
Matthias HochadelStiftung Institut Für Herzinfarktforschung (IHF), Ludwigshafen, Germany.
Jochen SengesStiftung Institut Für Herzinfarktforschung (IHF), Ludwigshafen, Germany.
Lars EckardtClinic for Cardiology II - Electrophysiology, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer Campus 1, 48149, Münster, Germany.
University of Münster · DEHeidelberg University · DEStiftung Institut für Herzinfarktforschung · DEAsklepios Klinik St. Georg · DEMünchen Klinik · DEMünchen Klinik Bogenhausen · DEUniversity Hospital Schleswig-Holstein · DEUniversity of Split · HR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCatheter ablation of atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter is routinely performed in patients with implantable devices. The aim of the present study was to assess success rates and potential complications in a large registry cohort of patients with cardiac pacemakers. METHODS AND

resultsThe German Ablation Registry is a nationwide, prospective registry with a 1-year follow-up investigating patients who underwent catheter ablation of supraventricular arrhythmias in 51 German centers. The present analysis focussed on the presence of cardiac pacemakers in 591 patients undergoing catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. These were compared to 7393 patients without a pacemaker. Patients with pacemakers were significantly older and presented more comorbidities like diabetes, renal failure, cardiovascular disease, or previous stroke. One-year mortality (2.4% vs. 1.3%, p = 0.022) and a combined endpoint of death, myocardial infarction, and stroke (3.6% vs. 2.1%, p = 0.014) were significantly elevated in patients with pacemakers. Re-hospitalization was also more common in patients with a pacemaker (53.3% vs. 45.0%, p < 0.01). After adjustment for important comorbidities, pre-existing pacemaker systems did not show any negative effect. Procedural success was reported in 98.8% vs. 98.4% (p = 0.93). Device-related complications were only observed in 0.4% of patients with pacemakers.

conclusionPatients with pacemaker systems undergoing catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter demonstrate an increased risk of death, cardiovascular events, and re-hospitalization. This observation can be largely attributed to an older patient population and an increased rate of comorbidities.

Indexed as

Atrial FibrillationAtrial FlutterCatheter AblationPacemaker, ArtificialPatient ReadmissionAgedComorbidityFemaleFollow-Up StudiesGermanyHumansMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesRegistriesRisk FactorsAtrial fibrillationAtrial flutterCardiac pacemakerCatheter ablation

Identifiers

PMID38619577
PMCPMC11946969
OpenAlexW4394815684

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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.