ArticleCirculation reports2026
Innovation in Atrial Fibrillation Treatment and the Paradox of Regional Disparity.
Article in Circulation reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Mitigating Iatrogenic Air Entrainment During Pulsed Field Ablation: A Comparative Study of a Novel Submerged-Entry Technique Using the VARIPULSECirculation reports · 2026Article
- Pharmacy-Based Atrial Fibrillation Screening Model Coordinated by a Regional Stroke and Cardiovascular Disease Support Center: The Catch AF Project.Circulation reports · 2026Article
- Association of Myocardial Degeneration With Delayed Recovery of Left Ventricular Function in Atrial Fibrillation-Induced Cardiomyopathy.Circulation reports · 2026Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: The rising global older population increases the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF), a major cause of stroke and heart failure, necessitating access to effective treatment. Catheter ablation (CA) has evolved into a primary treatment option, driven by significant advancements in device innovation, but is not available in all facilities. Methods and Results: According to public data from Japan (the Vital Statistics survey of Japanese events in 2022, the Japanese government Survey of Household Economy, the Survey on the Impact of the Diagnosis Procedure Combination System, and publicly available data from the Japan Heart Rhythm Society), a severe regional disparity exists in access to CA due to the uneven distribution of arrhythmia specialists. Ablation procedures per 10,000 population across the 47 prefectures averaged 6.67 (95% CI: 6.19-7.12), with a range of 3.02-9.24. This access gap is the "paradox of technological innovation", associated with inequitable treatment outcomes, higher AF-related hospitalization, and poorer quality of life in underserved prefectures. Structural threats, including a shrinking cardiologist workforce and new work constraints (Restrictions under the Work Style Reform-related Laws by the Japanese Government), risk worsening this disparity. Addressing this requires a paradigm shift toward equitable dissemination of CA. Conclusions: The future of arrhythmia care rests not only on pursuing cutting-edge technology but also on formulating evidence-based, policy-oriented action plans to fulfill the professional and societal responsibility of eliminating treatment inequity.
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