title: Influence of Age and Gender on Complications of Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite catheter ablation (CA) has become an accepted treatment option for symptomatic, drug-resistant atrial fibrillation (AF), safety of this procedure continues to be cause for concern.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Aim of the present multicenter study was to assess the influence of age and gender on incidence and severity of early CA complications.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011, data from 2,323 consecutive patients who underwent CA (mean age 59.1+10.9; 72.3% male) for AF in 29 Italian centres were collected. All complications occurring to the patients from admission to 30th post-procedural day were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Complications occurred in 94 patients (4.0%); of these 7 (0.30%) developed permanent sequelae. There was a significant trend toward a greater incidence of complications with increasing age-group. In particular, the incidence of complications was 35/1066 (3.3%) in patients <60 year-old vs 59/1257 (4.7%) in those > 60 year-old (p=0.03). All 7 patients with permanent sequeale were older than 60. Females had a higher incidence of complications both among younger [13/231 (5.6%) vs 22/915 (2.5%), p=0.02] and older patients [32/405 (7.9%) vs 27/739 (3.5%) p=0.001]. In subjects older than 60, 5/405 (1.2%) females and 2/176 (0.3%) males (p=0.04) suffered from permanent sequelae.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Older patients and females are a subgroup at higher risk of complications during AF ablation. A particular care should be taken when performing CA in this clinical setting.
authors.affiliation: Casa di Cura Mediterranea, Napoli.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stabile
authors.affiliation: Clinica Cardiologica, Dipartimento di Scienze Cardiologiche, Toraciche e Vascolari, Università degli Studi di Padova.
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bertaglia
authors.affiliation: Casa di Cura Villa Maria Cecilia, Cotignola (RA)/.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pappone
authors.affiliation: Ospedale dell'Angelo, Mestre-Venezia.
authors.forename: Sakis
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Themistoclakis
authors.affiliation: Centro Cardiologico Monzino, Milano.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tondo
authors.affiliation: Clinica Cardiologica, Dipartimento di Scienze Cardiologiche, Toraciche e Vascolari, Università degli Studi di Padova.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zorzi
authors.affiliation: Divisione di Cardiologia, Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Università degli Studi di Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Anselmino