Atrial Fibrillation Catheter Ablation Improves 1-Year Follow-Up Cognitive Function, Especially in Patients With Impaired Cognitive Function

BACKGROUND:Although atrial fibrillation (AF) has a risk of cognitive dysfunction, it is not clear whether AF catheter ablation improves or worsens cognitive function. This prospective case-control study sought to assess the 1-year serial changes in the cognitive function with or without AF catheter ablation. METHODS:We evaluated the Montreal Cognitive Assessment score in 308 patients (71.4% male, 60.6±9.1 years of age, 34.1% persistent AF) who underwent AF ablation (ablation group) and 50 AF patients on medical therapy who met the same indication for AF ablation (control group), at baseline and 3 and 12 months after enrollment. Cognitive impairment was defined as a published cutoff score of