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Updated: Aug 5, 2026
Catheter Ablation in Combination With Left Atrial Appendage Closure for Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: February 26, 2013
Catheter ablation versus no ablation for atrial fibrillation in cardiac amyloidosis: a propensity-matched cohort
Joud Fahed1, Mohammad Hamza2, Azka Naeem3
1Department of Medicine, Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Background:
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is extremely common in cardiac amyloidosis (CA) due to amyloid infiltration and atrial electrical remodeling. We aim to compare ablation outcomes versus no-ablation in patients taking anti-arrhythmic drugs (AAD) in CA-associated AF.
Methods:
Using TriNetX database (2019-2025), 5,562 patients with CA and AF were identified and divided into two groups: catheter ablation plus AADs (n = 893) versus medical therapy alone (n = 4,669). Baseline characteristics were adjusted and 1:1 propensity score matching was performed to account for baseline differences. Primary composite outcome included all-cause mortality, ischemic strokes, bleeding and subsequent myocardial infarction.
Results:
870 patients were included in each cohort. At 12-month follow-up, catheter ablation was associated with a significantly lower risk of the composite outcome (8.3% vs 13.2%; HR 0.591, 95% CI [0.418-0.834], p = 0.002), and reduced all-cause mortality. There were no significant differences in all-cause hospitalization, emergency department visits, new-onset heart failure, atrioventricular block, or cardiac arrest. Repeat ablation or cardioversion, and subsequent pacemaker or ICD implantation were more frequent in the ablation group.
Conclusion:
Catheter ablation was associated with improved short-term outcomes despite higher arrhythmia recurrence. Ablation may be considered in carefully selected patients, particularly those with earlier-stage disease or significant symptoms.
