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Updated: Jun 26, 2026
Catheter Ablation in Combination With Left Atrial Appendage Closure for Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: February 26, 2013
Patients' experiences 1-6 months after atrial fibrillation ablation: An holistic perspective
Sønneva Bergtun1,2, Kjersti Oterhals1,2, Bengt Fridlund1,2
1Department of Heart Disease, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
Insights
Patients undergoing atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation often face unexpected complications and insufficient follow-up, impacting their recovery and emotional well-being. Improved patient education and medical support are crucial for better post-ablation experiences.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Patient Experience Research
- Qualitative Health Research
Background:
- Atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation is a key treatment, yet understanding patient experiences post-procedure is vital for improving care quality.
- Current guidelines highlight the need to better comprehend complications and patient recovery trajectories.
- Holistic patient perspectives are essential for refining AF ablation protocols.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore patients' holistic experiences 1-6 months after atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation.
- To identify key themes and challenges faced by patients post-cardiac ablation.
- To provide insights for enhancing post-procedural care and patient support.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study employing a deductive and descriptive design.
- Content analysis of interviews with 19 patients who underwent AF ablation.
- Data collection occurred between September 2016 and February 2017.
Main Results:
- Five themes emerged, reflecting physical, self-management, emotional, social, and existential dimensions.
- Patients reported unexpected complications, slower recovery, and the need for self-management due to inadequate follow-up.
- Emotional responses varied based on recovery status, with challenges in social support and unmet expectations impacting outlook.
Conclusions:
- A holistic model effectively captures post-ablation patient experiences.
- Uncertainty and lack of follow-up significantly influence emotional well-being.
- Enhanced patient education on potential complications and improved follow-up care are recommended.
Aim:
To describe patients' experiences from a holistic perspective 1-6 months after atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation.
Background:
Catheter ablation (CA) is an invasive treatment for AF. While CA has Class 1A indication, the latest guidelines for AF management state there is an urgent need to better understand complications in clinical practice to improve the quality of AF ablation procedures.
Design:
A qualitative analytic approach based on a deductive and descriptive design was used.
Methods:
Interviews of 19 patients, carried out from September 2016 to February 2017, were analysed using qualitative content analysis.
Findings:
Five themes were identified; one in each life dimension due to the deductive design based on a holistic model: (a) having unexpected complications with a slower recovery; (b) discovering one's own self-management strategies when lacking information and insufficient follow-up; (c) managing resentment through different coping strategies while emotional reactions depended on feeling better or worse; (d) failing to receive full understanding and support from close ones, with social consequences when the biophysical level did not return to normal; (e) gradually adopting new life perspectives with a hope for a better future, despite having unmet expectations and uncertainty, leading to discovering existential matters.
Conclusion:
Patients' post CA experiences could be understood in terms of a holistic model. Their feelings of uncertainty caused by a lack of medical follow-up led to emotional reactions, the magnitude of which depended on feeling-well or worse. Patients' need more information about possible complications, suggesting follow-up and patient education needs improvement.
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