Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42012741›Full record

ArticleJournal of interventional cardiac electrophysiology : an international journal of arrhythmias and pacing2026

Adverse events after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation: a comprehensive nationwide cohort study.

Antti Lappalainen, Juha E K Hartikainen, Konsta Teppo, Olli Halminen, Aapo L Aro, Jarkko Karvonen, Rasmus Siponen, Annukka Marjamaa, Birgitta Salmela, Jukka Putaala and 5 more

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Article in Journal of interventional cardiac electrophysiology : an international journal of arrhythmias and pacing, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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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

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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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Antti LappalainenHeart Center, Kuopio University Hospital and University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland. antti.lappalainen@pshyvinvointialue.fi.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0004-5050-3383
Juha E K HartikainenHeart Center, Kuopio University Hospital and University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Konsta TeppoDepartment of Internal Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Olli HalminenDepartment of Health and Social Management, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Aapo L AroHeart and Lung Center, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Jarkko KarvonenHeart and Lung Center, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Rasmus SiponenUniversity of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Annukka MarjamaaHeart and Lung Center, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Birgitta SalmelaDepartment of Internal Medicine, Heart Center, Päijät-Häme Central Hospital, Lahti, Finland.
Jukka PutaalaDepartment of Neurology, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Pirjo MustonenHeart Centre, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Miika LinnaDepartment of Health and Social Management, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Jari HaukkaUniversity of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
K E Juhani AiraksinenHeart Centre, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Mika LehtoDepartment of Internal Medicine, Jorvi Hospital, HUS Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCatheter ablation is frequently used for rhythm control of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, nationwide, real-world data on the incidence of adverse events and their predictors following the procedure remain limited.

methodsFinnish AntiCoagulation in Atrial Fibrillation (FinACAF) is a registry-linkage study including all patients with AF in Finland between 2007 and 2018. We investigated the incidence and predictors of new-onset adverse events following all first-time AF catheter ablations (3075 patients) in Finland between 2012 and 2016.

resultsAt the one-month follow-up, 1.14% and by two years 6.34% of the patients experienced an adverse event or died. At one-month follow-up, 0.33% of patients developed ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack (IS/TIA). The incidence of IS/TIA was 6.6 times higher during the first 19 days after ablation compared to the subsequent follow-up period. The incidence of IS/TIA after anticoagulation discontinuation was low: 0.8 events per 100 patient-years. The most frequent events during two-year follow-up were bleeding (2.44%), IS/TIA (1.82%), and heart failure (1.24%). Older age was associated with all-cause mortality, bleeding, heart failure and combined endpoint of adverse events during two-year follow-up. Women presented with a higher risk of IS at the time of ablation, but the sex-related difference attenuated during the follow-up. Additionally, the CHA₂DS₂-VA score predicted IS, but not the combined endpoint of IS/TIA or TIA alone, during the follow-up period.

conclusionIn this nationwide, real-world cohort, older age, especially ≥ 70 years, emerged as the strongest risk factor for adverse events after first-time catheter ablation for AF.

Indexed as

Adverse eventsAtrial fibrillationCatheter ablationComplications

Identifiers

PMID42012741

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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.