Same day discharge after atrial fibrillation ablation is feasible and safe. Results of a prospective study in 1015 patients

Abstract

Abstract Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation is the standard treatment for symptomatic paroxysmal and persistent AF. It is a common practice for patients to stay overnight after the ablation for observation of possible complications. Thus, increasing volume of procedures places a significant strain on institutions. To tackle this issue, our institution developed a same-day discharge (SDD) protocol for AF ablation. Purpose To assess the feasibility and safety of the SDD protocol after at least four-hour observation in patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for AF. Methods A SDD protocol was implemented in our institution in March 2019. We conducted a prospective observational study that included all consecutive patients who underwent ablation for AF until January 2021. A detailed workflow setup provided in the figure. To compare means the Mann Whitney U test, and for categorical variables – χ2 test were used. The difference was significant when p<0.05. Results A total of n=1015 patients underwent RFA in the study period. Of those, same-day discharge was feasible in n=751 (74.1%) and n=264 stayed overnight. The mean age (SDD 62.5 SD 8.8 years vs overnight-stay 64.1 SD 9.2 years, p=0.105) and gender distribution (males SDD 46.8% vs overnight-stay 39.8%, p=0.265) did not differ between the two groups. In the SDD group no patients were readmitted for complications within 24 hours after the ablation. A severe complication was defined as pericardial effusion with drainage, pulmonary oedema, thromboembolic event and vascular complication needing surgical intervention. In total 3.0% of all patients experienced a severe complication. The main reasons for staying overnight were small groin hematoma without intervention (18.9%), nausea (14.4%) and logistic issues (32.2%). The 30-day hospital readmission rate was insignificantly higher in the overnight-stay group (19.4% vs 28.0%, p=0.113). The most common reasons for readmission were arrhythmias (SDD 10.1% vs overnight-stay 20.5%) and chest pain (SDD 7.6% vs overnight-stay 2.4%). One late pericardial effusion with drainage on day 10 after the ablation was noted in the SDD group. Conclusion Same-day discharge in patients after RFA for AF is feasible and safe with an observational period of at least four hours and immediate transthoracic echocardiography after the procedure. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.