Cumulative incidence

Pulmonary vein

Cohort

Proportional hazards model

Catheter ablation

Ablation

Multivariate analysis

Cardiology

Physics

Optics

Internal medicine

Prospective cohort study

Confidence interval

Hazard ratio

Medicine

Atrial fibrillation

Incidence (geometry)

EP Europace

Aim The impact of sex differences on the clinical outcomes of radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) of atrial fibrillation (AF) is controversial. We investigated the sex differences regarding the efficacy and clinical outcomes of RFCA of AF. Methods and results We conducted a large-scale, prospective, multicentre, observational study (Kansai Plus Atrial Fibrillation Registry). We enrolled 5010 consecutive patients who underwent an initial RFCA of AF at 26 centres (64 ± 10 years; non-paroxysmal AF, 35.7%). The median follow-up duration was 2.9 years. Female patients (n = 1369, 27.3%) were older (female vs. male, 68 ± 9 vs. 63 ± 11 years, P &amp;lt; 0.0001) with a lower prevalence of non-paroxysmal AF (27.1% vs. 38.9%, P &amp;lt; 0.0001). Fewer females experienced time-dependent pulmonary vein (PV) reconnections and more females received a non-PV foci ablation than males in the index RFCA. The 3-year cumulative incidence of AF recurrences in the multivariate analysis after single procedures was significantly higher in females than males (43.3% vs. 39.0%, log rank P = 0.0046). Females remained an independent predictor of AF recurrence (hazard ratio 1.24; 95% confidence interval 1.12–1.38, P &amp;lt; 0.0001). The AF recurrence rates after multiple procedures were also higher in females, but fewer females experienced PV reconnections during second sessions. More females experienced de novo pacemaker implantations during the long-term follow-up. Females were associated with a higher risk of heart failure hospitalizations and major bleeding after RFCA in the multivariate analysis. Conclusions Females experienced more frequent AF recurrences probably due to non-PV arrhythmogenicity and de novo pacemaker implantations than males during the long-term follow-up after RFCA of AF.

Sex differences in atrial fibrillation ablation outcomes: insights from a large-scale multicentre registry