Introduction
Catheter ablation is an effective, minimally invasive therapy for
patients with symptomatic drug-refractory atrial fibrillation (AF), and
pulmonary vein isolation by cryoballoon ablation is an established
treatment option.1 The risks associated with catheter
ablation for the treatment of AF are generally low; however, patients
are typically observed overnight following the ablation procedure to
monitor for complications that may manifest within the first 24-hours
post-procedure (e.g ., access site complication, pericardial
effusion and cardiac tamponade).1
Same-day discharge (SDD) protocols have been used effectively in other
cardiac interventions,2, 3 and recently SDD protocols
have been evaluated for catheter ablation of patients with AF using both
radiofrequency and cryoballoon catheters.4, 5
In the present study, a multicenter retrospective chart-review analysis
was utilized to evaluate safety and efficacy of SDD following a
cryoballoon ablation for AF across three high volume and geographically
diverse centers within the US in a large group of patients. The economic
impact of a SDD protocol was also evaluated and compared between the
centers.