HRX 2024 AbstracX Library-Digital versus Conventional Follow-up of Patients after Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation

Digital versus Conventional Follow-up of Patients after Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation

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The document discusses a study examining the effectiveness of digital versus conventional follow-up methods for patients who have undergone catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF). The digital follow-up program, conducted between 2021 and 2024, aims to improve clinical outcomes by enhancing continuity of care, patient engagement, and facilitating earlier interventions in case of AF recurrence.<br /><br />The study compares outcomes of patients from the digital follow-up cohort (2021-2024) with a retrospective cohort from 2017-2020, involving 442 patients. It measures various clinical outcomes based on ICHOM standards. Key findings include that digital follow-up enables a structured approach, leading to integrated care and earlier interventions, thereby reducing the time to new ablation by 73 days (p=0.028).<br /><br />Several outcome measures are analyzed over 12 months, including recurrence of atrial tachyarrhythmia/atrial fibrillation (AT/AF) and major adverse cardiac events (MACE). The digital group showed an AT/AF recurrence rate of 11.3% compared to 9.3% for the conventional group, although this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.437). MACE occurrence was slightly higher in the digital group (1.4% vs. 0.5%, p=0.497). Other measures, such as healthcare utilization and emergency department visits, showed minimal differences between groups, indicating comparable outcomes across follow-up methods.<br /><br />The demographics and baseline characteristics of the two cohorts are largely similar, though statistically significant differences were observed in age and the prevalence of systolic dysfunction and left atrium dilation.<br /><br />In conclusion, the digital follow-up program appears effective in providing timely interventions and maintaining successful treatment outcomes, though traditional follow-up also remains a viable method with comparable results for certain outcomes.

Keywords

digital follow-up

conventional follow-up

catheter ablation

atrial fibrillation

clinical outcomes

patient engagement

integrated care

atrial tachyarrhythmia

major adverse cardiac events

healthcare utilization