Unplanned contacts managed by an advanced nurse practitioner after atrial fibrillation ablation

To describe the care workload and consultation reasons related to unplanned contacts made by patients undergoing atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation to the advanced nurse practitioner in AF (ANP-AF).

A prospective, single-centre descriptive study was conducted between March 2022 and March 2023. During the pre-procedural visit (7-15 days before ablation), the ANP-AF provided individualized education and an unplanned contact channel for non-urgent concerns, available by telephone (8:00-20:00 h) and email. All contacts were consecutively recorded, documenting type and timing of contact, telephone call duration, reason for consultation, and basic patient demographics.

A total of 250 AF ablations was performed, and 78 unplanned contacts were registered, corresponding to 31% of patients (1.5 contacts/week). Most contacts were made by women (55%), with a mean age of 65 ± 10 years. Telephone was the preferred communication method (95%), with a mean call duration of 9 ± 3 minutes. Twenty contacts (25%) occurred before ablation and 58 (75%) within the 12 months after the procedure. The median contact time was 11:30 h (IQR: 10:00-14:45). The most frequent reasons for consultation were AF recurrences (21%), complementary test requests (21%), post-procedural complications (19%), and questions regarding pharmacological treatment (15%).

One in three patients undergoing AF ablation makes an unplanned contact with the APNP-AF. Systematic identification of consultation reasons may help optimize pre- and post-ablation education and strengthen continuity of care.