Discussion
To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the long term outcomes of patients with heart failure and atrial fibrillation undergoing catheter ablation with an index cryo-ablation strategy, and the largest reported series to date. The primary findings were:
  1. Cryoablation was an effective index approach with long term single and multi-procedure freedom from atrial arrhythmia comparable to contemporary studies of patients with heart failure undergoing RF ablation.
  2. Cryoablation in patients with heart failure was safe with relatively low complications rates.
  3. Cryoablation is an effective index strategy in improving ventricular function and functional capacity in the setting of AF and heart failure.