Cryoablation and Radiofrequency for Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation: Efficacy Is Similar

Atrial fibrillation (AF) has become the most common indication for ablation in the U.S. Multiple randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) have shown reductions in time to AF occurrence with ablation, but no RCT has used implantable loop recorders (ILRs) for continuous monitoring pre- and postablation. In a Canadian RCT involving 346 patients with paroxysmal AF that failed treatment with antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs), researchers examined three ablation strategies for pulmonary vein isolation: radiofrequency catheter with contact force, cryoablation with 4-minute freezes, and cryoablation with 2-minute freezes (NCT01913522). All patients had ILRs implanted ≥30 days before ablation (median, 74 days).

During the 3-month blanking period, AADs (but not…