Anticoagulation after Atrial Fibrillation Ablation: Many Blanks to Fill

Journal of Atrial Fibrillation
Martin Fiala

Abstract

Long-term maintenance of sinus rhythm (SR) after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) has remained an open issue awaiting further relevant data. It is of paramount importance as our everyday decisions on discontinuing anticoagulation after ablation rest on the belief in the absence of clinically significant asymptomatic AF episodes and constant SR for the rest of the patient's life. Both aspects are difficult to ascertain, for the tools of truly continuous ECG monitoring are not comfortably applicable, and routine follow-up tends to thin out beyond 1 year in asymptomatic patients without apparent arrhythmia recurrences.

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