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Research Article: Patient-reported and clinical outcomes after first-time atrial fibrillation ablation in older patients: a real-world retrospective single-center study

Date Published: 2026-07-08

Abstract:
Older patients remain underrepresented in studies of catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF), and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) after ablation in this population are limited. We compared real-world clinical outcomes and PROMs after first-time CA for AF in patients ?70 years and 60–65 years. All patients aged ?70 or 60–65 years undergoing first-time CA for AF at Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet between 2017 and 2021 were retrospectively invited in 2022 to complete standardized questionnaires. The modified European Heart Rhythm Association (mEHRA) classification was used to grade symptoms, with change expressed as ? mEHRA (follow-up minus baseline). Clinical and procedural data were retrieved from medical records. Of 462 eligible patients, 344 were included: 132???70 years (median age 73.0, 64% male), and 212 aged 60–65 (median age 63.0, 73% male). Both groups reported significant symptom relief one year after ablation (?70: ?mEHRA ?1.42?±?1.29, p <?0.001; 60–65: ?mEHRA ?1.78?±?1.17, p <?0.001), with greater absolute reduction in the younger group in unadjusted analyses ( p =?0.021). At follow-up, median mEHRA scores were low and identical between groups [1 (1–2) vs. 1 (1–2)], with a greater proportion of older patients reporting any improvement ( p =?0.034). Complication rates were not statistically significantly different (5% vs 7%, p =?0.62), whereas reported AF recurrence was higher among older patients (59% vs 47%, p =?0.042). In this real-world cohort, patients ?70 years undergoing first-time CA for AF experienced meaningful symptom improvement and no statistically significant difference in complication rates compared with patients aged 60–65 years, despite higher reported recurrence rates. These findings highlight the value of PROMs alongside conventional rhythm outcomes when assessing treatment benefit in older patients.

Introduction:
Older patients remain underrepresented in studies of catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF), and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) after ablation in this population are limited. We compared real-world clinical outcomes and PROMs after first-time CA for AF in patients ?70 years and 60–65 years.

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