Follow up
All patients were discharged with an antiarrhythmic medication and an oral anticoagulant (OAC). Antiarrhythmic drugs were stopped 3 months after ablation if the patient had no recurrence of atrial tachyarrhythmia, while OAC is prescribed according to the patient’s thromboembolic risk.
Follow-up was conducted at 3, 6, and 12 months after the procedure through telephone or in the out-patient clinic. A 24-hour Holter recording was performed at 1, 2, 3, 6, 12 months. Symptom triggered or opportunistic ECGs were also documented. Recurrence was defined by an episode of atrial tachyarrhythmia lasting more than 30 seconds after a 3-month blanking period. The primary outcome of the observation is freedom from AF/AT recurrence with or without anti-arrhythmic drugs (AAD) after the 3-month blanking period during the 12-month follow-up after single ablation.