Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42282058›Full record

ArticleEuropean heart journal open2026

Oral anticoagulation discontinuation after atrial fibrillation ablation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Ahmed Salih, Antonio Creta, Hussam Ali, Riccardo Cappato, Rui Providencia

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in European heart journal open, 2026. 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
–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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  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

5 authors.

Ahmed SalihSchool of Medicine, Imperial College London, Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, Faculty Building, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
Antonio CretaInstitute of Health Informatics Research, University College London, 222 Euston Road, London NW1 2DA, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7743-0143
Hussam AliArrhythmia and Clinical Electrophysiology Center, IRCCS, MultiMedica Group, Via Milanese, 300, 20099 Sesto San Giovanni, Milan, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3469-1028
Riccardo CappatoArrhythmia and Clinical Electrophysiology Center, IRCCS, MultiMedica Group, Via Milanese, 300, 20099 Sesto San Giovanni, Milan, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0615-9525
Rui ProvidenciaInstitute of Health Informatics Research, University College London, 222 Euston Road, London NW1 2DA, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9141-9883

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Aims: The need for long-term oral anticoagulation (OAC) after apparently successful atrial fibrillation (AF) catheter ablation remains uncertain. Although ablation reduces AF recurrence, it is unclear whether this translates into a low stroke risk to sufficiently discontinue anticoagulation. This systematic review assesses whether stopping OAC after successful AF ablation affects thromboembolic or bleeding risk. Methods and results: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus up to 13 November 2025 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) enrolling adults with AF who underwent catheter ablation and were subsequently randomized to continue or discontinue OAC. Outcomes were pooled using random-effects models. The primary endpoints were stroke, systemic embolism, and major bleeding. Three RCTs met inclusion criteria ( Conclusion: In patients who remain arrhythmia-free after AF ablation, stopping OAC did not increase thromboembolic events and substantially reduced major bleeding, suggesting that in post-ablation patients with low thromboembolic risk, and no demonstration of AF relapse for at least 6-12 months, discontinuation of OAC may be potentially safe.

Indexed as

Atrial fibrillationCatheter ablationDOACMajor bleedingOral anticoagulationStroke

Identifiers

PMID42282058
PMCPMC13252450

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.