Same Day versus Overnight Discharge in Patients Undergoing Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation (SODA) Study

Patients undergoing catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) are routinely admitted for observation overnight in the hospital. With the rising incidence of AF among the population, increased volumes of procedures are placing increased demands on hospital resources. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of same day discharge in patients undergoing ablation for AF when compared to patients admitted for overnight observation. We performed a retrospective analysis using a multicenter cohort among patients who were discharged home after elective pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) ablation for AF. In our analysis, we found no statistically significant difference between patients discharged on the day of their procedure when compared to patients admitted for overnight observation in terms of 90-day readmission, major adverse cardiovascular events and death. This study shows that same day discharge after AF ablation is a feasible option. Future studies are needed to elicit the appropriate protocol to use.