Contemporary trends and in-hospital outcomes of catheter and stand-alone surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation

Abstract Aims The contemporary trends in catheter ablation (CA) and surgical ablation (SA) utilization and surgical techniques [open vs. thoracoscopic, with or without left atrial appendage closure (LAAC)] are unclear. In addition, the in-hospital outcomes of stand-alone SA compared with CA are not well-described. Methods and results The National Inpatient Sample 2010–18 was queried for atrial fibrillation (AF) hospitalizations with CA or stand-alone SA. Complex samples multivariable logistic and linear regression models were used to compare the association between stand-alone SA vs. CA and the primary outcomes of in-hospital mortality and stroke. Of 180 243 hospitalizations included within the study, 167 242 were for CA and 13 000 were for stand-alone SA. Catheter ablation and stand-alone SA hospitalizations decreased throughout the study period (Ptrend