title: Nationwide survey of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation: the Japanese Catheter Ablation Registry of Atrial Fibrillation (J-CARAF)--report of 1-year follow-up.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A nationwide survey of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) was conducted in Japan to determine the mid-term performance of the therapy from analysis of the 1-year outcome of registered patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 2,137 patients who underwent AF ablation in September 2011 and March 2012 were initially registered. In 2013, the 1-year follow-up data of 1,208 patients (56.5% of 2,137) from 119 centers were collected. Average age was 61.9±10.7 years. Patients with paroxysmal AF (PAF) constituted 64.3%. Persistent AF (pAF) and long-standing pAF (LS-pAF) were 20.4% and 15.3%, respectively. For all patients, 76.7% underwent their first AF ablation. At 1 year after AF ablation, 70.9%, 61.4%, and 56.2% of PAF, pAF, and LS-pAF patients, respectively, were free from AF or clinical/partial success (PAF vs. pAF or LS-pAF: P<0.01). Re-ablation was performed in 11.3%, 16.3%, and 17.3%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that procedure time (odds ratio [OR] 0.82, P=0.000), and results of AF induction test (OR 1.36, P<0.02) were significantly related to successful outcome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Approximately 70% of PAF and 60% of nonPAF patients were free from AF recurrence or had clinical/partial success status. Shorter procedure time and elimination of AF inducibility were independent predictors of mid-term success of AF ablation.
authors.affiliation: Fourth Department of Internal Medicine, Teikyo University.
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Murakawa
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nogami
authors.forename: Morio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shoda
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Shigeto
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Naito
authors.forename: Koichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kumagai
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyauchi
authors.forename: Teiichi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamane
authors.forename: Norishige
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okumura
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012042:Registries