Two very interesting reports on the effect of AF ablation:
1. Stroke rates before and after ablation of atrial fibrillation and in propensity-matched controls in the UK ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/286...
This shows a risk of only a third for patients who have had an ablation (0.64% p.a.) compared with those who haven't (1.84%).
2. Mortality, stroke, and heart failure in atrial fibrillation cohorts after ablation versus propensity-matched cohorts ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/286...
This shows a risk of death following ablation of only around 10% compared with non-ablated patients.
I wouldn't say this is the final conclusion to this debate. The results seem almost too good to be true, particularly on mortality. Am I missing something? It is a Saturday evening and I've had quite a big glass of wine!