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After catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF), patients' quality of life (QOL) improved in several studies (e.g., NEJM JW Cardiol May 2019 and JAMA 2019; 321:1261), but some specialists have remained skeptical because of a possible placebo effect. Researchers now report findings from a prespecified secondary analysis of QOL based on STAR-AF II, in which three ablation strategies did not differ in 30-second AF recurrence among patients with persistent AF (NCT01203748; NEJM JW Cardiol Jul 2015 and N Engl J Med 2015; 372:1812).
QOL was determined by scores on two standardized questionnaires; scores were converted to physical- and mental-health subscale scores. Of 549 study participants, 465 completed all four surveys (preablation and at …