Efficacy, safety, and outcome of atrial fibrillation ablation in septuagenarians.
OBJECTIVE
Catheter ablation is an effective treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF). The outcome of AF ablation in septuagenarians is not clear. Our aim was to evaluate success rate, outcome, and complication rate of AF ablation in septuagenarians.


RESULTS
We collected data from 174 consecutive patients over 75 years of age who underwent AF ablation from 2001 to 2006. AF was paroxysmal in 55%. High-risk CHADS score (>or=2) was present in 65% of the population. Over a mean follow-up of 20 +/- 14 months, 127 (73%) maintained sinus rhythm (SR) with a single procedure, whereas 47 patients had recurrence of AF. Twenty of them had a second ablation, successful in 16 (80%). Major acute complications included one CVA and one hemothorax (2/194 [1.0%]). During the follow-up, three patients had a CVA within the first 6 weeks after ablation. Warfarin was discontinued in 138 out 143 patients (96%) who maintained SR without AADs with no embolic event occurring over a mean follow-up of 16 +/- 12 months.


CONCLUSIONS
AF ablation is a safe and effective treatment for AF in septuagenarians.
Corrado
Andrea
A
Section of Pacing and Electrophysiology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Patel
Dimpi
D
Riedlbauchova
Lucie
L
Fahmy
Tamer S
TS
Themistoclakis
Sakis
S
Bonso
Aldo
A
Rossillo
Antonio
A
Hao
Steven
S
Schweikert
Robert A
RA
Cummings
Jennifer E
JE
Bhargava
Mandeep
M
Burkhardt
David
D
Saliba
Walid
W
Raviele
Antonio
A
Natale
Andrea
A
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology