Pulmonary vein isolation for atrial fibrillation: Does ablation technique influence outcome?

Background: Over the last 20 years various techniques have been developed striving for safer and more durable pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). The three most commonly used tools are pulmonary vein ablation catheter (PVAC) and cryoballoon (‘single-shot’ techniques), and point-by-point (PBP) radiofrequency ablation using 3D electroanatomical mapping (EAM). Objective: Evaluate the safety and efficacy of the different techniques in an unselected population undergoing de-novo ablation for persistent or paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) at Royal Papworth Hospital (RPH). Method: Retrospective, single-centre study of consecutive AF ablations at RPH between March 2017 and April 2018. Demographic, procedural and outcome data were analysed. Results: Over the study period 329 first-time PVI procedures were performed. 37.4% were performed using PBP, 39.8% using cryoballoon and 22.8% using PVAC. There was no significant difference in age or sex between different ablation technique groups. 238 procedures were performed for paroxysmal AF and 91 for persistent AF. A higher proportion of the persistent cases were performed using point-by-point techniques compared to paroxysmal cases (58.2% vs 29.0%, p