ArticleEuropace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology2024
General anaesthesia compared to conscious sedation for first-time atrial fibrillation catheter ablation-a Danish nationwide cohort study.
Article 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, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Sedation vs. general anaesthesia in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing catheter ablation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.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 · 2025Pooled it
- Improved patient value after implementing same day discharge for patients undergoing pulmonary vein isolation.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
- Anaesthetic Techniques for Cardiac Ablation-A Scoping Review.Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica · 2026Article
- Interplay of Probe Stability and Oscillation During Very-High-Power Short-Duration Ablation in Pulmonary Vein Isolation for Atrial Fibrillation.Pacing and clinical electrophysiology : PACE · 2026Article
- Circular over-the-wire pulsed field ablation for atrial fibrillation: differences in outcomes between conscious sedation or general anesthesia.Journal of interventional cardiac electrophysiology : an international journal of arrhythmias and pacing · 2026Article
- Clinical implications and recurrence rates of first-time catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a nationwide cohort study.European heart journal open · 2026Article
- "Awake and Ablated": First experience with a balloon-in-basket PFA system without propofol.Heart rhythm O2 · 2026Article
- The impact of sedation strategy on catheter stability in radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation.Heart rhythm O2 · 2025Article
- De novo pulmonary vein isolation in obese vs nonobese patients under deep sedation: Does obesity increase procedure complexity?Heart rhythm O2 · 2025Article
- Optimized workflow with hybrid (very) high-power short-duration radiofrequency ablation renders point-by-point pulmonary vein isolation as fast and effective as cryoballoon ablation.Journal of interventional cardiac electrophysiology : an international journal of arrhythmias and pacing · 2025Article
- Ganglionated plexi ablation impact on atrial fibrillation mechanisms and outcomes in patients with low scar burden.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
- Comparative analysis of anaesthesia modalities in pulmonary vein isolation: insights from a prospective multicentre registry.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
- Optimized workflow for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation ablation using very high power short duration.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2025Article
- A Year in Review: Atrial Fibrillation 2024.The Journal of innovations in cardiac rhythm management · 2025Article
- Risk of Acute Pain in Obese Patients Undergoing Atrial Fibrillation Ablation.Journal of pain research · 2025Article
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11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
aimsCatheter ablation (CA) is a well-established treatment option for atrial fibrillation (AF), where sedation and analgesia are pivotal for patient comfort and lesion formation. The impact of anaesthesia type on AF recurrence rates remains uncertain. This study aimed to examine AF recurrence rates depending on conscious sedation (CS) vs. general anaesthesia (GA) during CA. METHODS AND
resultsUtilizing nationwide data from the Danish healthcare registries, we conducted this cohort study involving adults (≥18 years) undergoing first-time CA for AF between 2010 and 2018. Patients were categorized by anaesthesia type (CS or GA), with the primary endpoint being AF recurrence, defined by a composite endpoint of either antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) prescriptions, AF-related hospital admissions, electrical cardioversions, or AF re-ablation. The impact of anaesthesia type was evaluated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis. The study cohort comprised 7957 (6421 CS and 1536 GA) patients. Persistent AF, hypertension, and heart failure, as well as use of AAD, were more prevalent in the GA group. Cumulative incidences of recurrent AF were higher in the CS group at 1 (46% vs. 37%) and at 5 (68% vs. 63%) years. Multivariate analysis revealed CS as significantly associated with increased risk of AF recurrence at 5-year follow-up [hazard ratio 1.26 (95% confidence interval 1.15-1.38)], consistent across paroxysmal and persistent AF subtypes.
conclusionThis nationwide cohort study suggests a higher risk of AF recurrence with CS during CA compared to GA. These results advocate for considering GA as the preferred anaesthesia type for improved CA outcomes.
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