Outcomes and Safety of Catheter Ablation in the Elderly

Catheter ablation has emerged as a first-line therapy for many arrhythmias. However, data on the safety and outcomes of catheter ablation in the elderly population remain limited. Here, we aimed to study the outcomes of catheter ablation in octogenarians. The data used in this study were obtained from the National Inpatient Sample database through years 2016-2019. We identified patients ≥80 years old who were diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AF), atrial flutter (AFL), supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), or ventricular tachycardia (VT) as primary diagnoses. The patients' characteristics and common procedure complications were extracted. We investigated the predictors of mortality and in-hospital complications using multivariable logistic regression. A total of 18,595 patients were included in our analysis. The most common procedure performed was ablation for AF (46%), followed by AFL ablation (23%), VT ablation (18%), and SVT ablation (12%). Higher rates of tamponade (1.6%) were seen in patients undergoing VT ablation. A Charlson's comorbidity index (CCI) score of ≥3 points was used as an independent predictor for complications (odds ratio [OR], 2.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4-3.3, P = .001). Mortality was higher in VT ablation (4.2%) compared to AFL (1.3%), AF (0.9%), and SVT (0.3%). After logistic regression analysis, a CCI score of ≥3 points (OR, 14.7; 95% CI, 1.88-114.9; P = .01) and tamponade (OR, 4.9; 95% CI, 1.65-14.8; P = .004) were independent predictors of mortality. We found a low incidence of procedural complication rates across all ablation groups in octogenarians. Those undergoing VT ablation were more likely to have complications and a higher mortality rate. Baseline comorbidities can be used to risk-stratify patients when deciding on the best treatment strategy.