Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39992385›Full record

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

In-hospital outcomes of catheter ablation in atrial arrhythmias: a nationwide analysis of 2,901 patients with adult congenital heart disease compared to 787,995 without.

Sebastian Grundmann, Klaus Kaier, Alexander Maier, Jonathan Rilinger, Johannes Steinfurt, Brigitte Stiller, Dirk Westermann, Constantin von Zur Mühlen, Markus Jäckel

Abstract readComparative StudyMulticenter 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 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Pulsed field ablation compared to thermal ablation techniques in atrial fibrillation: a German-wide in-hospital safety 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 · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
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

9 authors.

Sebastian GrundmannDepartment of Cardiology and Angiology, Faculty of Medicine, University Heart Center Freiburg - Bad Krozingen, University of Freiburg, Hugstetter Strasse 55, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
Klaus KaierCenter for Big Data Analysis in Cardiology (CeBAC), Department of Cardiology and Angiology, Faculty of Medicine, University Heart Center Freiburg - Bad Krozingen, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Alexander MaierDepartment of Cardiology and Angiology, Faculty of Medicine, University Heart Center Freiburg - Bad Krozingen, University of Freiburg, Hugstetter Strasse 55, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
Jonathan RilingerDepartment of Cardiology and Angiology, Faculty of Medicine, University Heart Center Freiburg - Bad Krozingen, University of Freiburg, Hugstetter Strasse 55, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
Johannes SteinfurtDepartment of Cardiology and Angiology, Faculty of Medicine, University Heart Center Freiburg - Bad Krozingen, University of Freiburg, Hugstetter Strasse 55, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
Brigitte StillerDepartment of Congenital Heart Defects and Pediatric Cardiology, Medical Center, University Heart Center Freiburg - Bad Krozingen, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Dirk WestermannDepartment of Cardiology and Angiology, Faculty of Medicine, University Heart Center Freiburg - Bad Krozingen, University of Freiburg, Hugstetter Strasse 55, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
Constantin von Zur MühlenDepartment of Cardiology and Angiology, Faculty of Medicine, University Heart Center Freiburg - Bad Krozingen, University of Freiburg, Hugstetter Strasse 55, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
Markus JäckelDepartment of Cardiology and Angiology, Faculty of Medicine, University Heart Center Freiburg - Bad Krozingen, University of Freiburg, Hugstetter Strasse 55, 79106, Freiburg, Germany. markus.jaeckel@universitaets-herzzentrum.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8638-5228

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAdvances in pediatric cardiology and congenital heart surgery have increased the adult population with congenital heart disease (CHD), now facing long-term complications like atrial arrhythmias. Given the limited data and safety concerns in this unique and vulnerable patient group, this study analyzes in-hospital outcomes of atrial catheter ablation in CHD patients versus non-CHD patients from a German nationwide real-world registry.

methodsUsing health records, all atrial catheter ablation procedures in Germany from 2008 to 2021 were analyzed. After adjustment for confounders, safety performance endpoints were compared between patients with and without CHD.

resultsFrom 2008 to 2021, 790,896 patients underwent right or left atrial catheter ablation in Germany. Of these, 1004 patients were classified as simple CHD, 1,054 patients as moderate CHD and 843 patients as complex CHD. Age at time of procedure was lower with increasing complexity of the CHD. Atypical atrial flutter (5.5% vs. 21.8%; p < 0.001) and other atrial tachycardias (21.2% vs. 42.2%; p < 0.001) occurred more often in patients with complex CHD compared to patients without. Combined ablation in both atria was more often performed in complex CHD. Despite higher complexity, in-hospital mortality (< 0.2%) and other investigated complications were rare. After adjustment for baseline characteristics, type of arrhythmia and ablation location, the relative risk for serious adverse events (combination of mortality, stroke, intracerebral bleeding or pericardiocentesis) did not show a significant difference for patients with CHD.

conclusionEven in patients with CHD, complications are rare and after adjustment, no differences were identified concerning serious adverse events. Therefore, an ablation should not be generally avoided in patients with CHD due to concerns about complications although an individualized evaluation of the anatomy must be taken into account.

Indexed as

Atrial FibrillationCatheter AblationHeart Defects, CongenitalRegistriesAdultAgedFemaleGermanyHospital MortalityHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeYoung AdultAblationAtrial arrhythmiaCardiac tamponadeCongenital heart diseaseSafety

Identifiers

PMID39992385
PMCPMC11946971

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Registered trials

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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.