Long-Term Natural History of Adult Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome Patients Treated with and without Catheter Ablation

BACKGROUND—There are a paucity of data regarding the long-term natural history of adult Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome patients in regard to risk of mortality and atrial fibrillation (AF). We sought to describe the long-term outcomes of WPW patients and ascertain the impact of ablation on the natural history. METHODS AND RESULTS—Three groups of patients were studied2 WPW populations (Ablation872, No Ablation1461) and a 1:5 control population (n=11,175). Long-term mortality and AF rates were determined. The average follow-up for the WPW group was 7.9 ± 5.9 (median6.9) years and was similar between the ablation and non-ablation groups. Death rates were similar between the WPW group versus the control group [HR=0.96 (95% CI0.83-1.11), p=0.56]. Non-ablated WPW patients had a higher long-term death risk compared to WPW ablation patients [HR=2.10 (95% CI1.50-20.93), p