![]() We posted the Investigational Review Board (IRB) approved advertisement, which presented an overview of study aims, procedures, inclusion/exclusion criteria, and contact information for the study office. After reviewing the aims and procedures for our study, the webmaster at this site gave us permission to recruit for our study on their site. Our concurrent online approach used a popular AF patient website, to recruit. ![]() Once referred to an EP physician for an ablation, patients are seen in outpatient clinic and the ablation is scheduled as soon as feasible, which is typically between two to four weeks later. Patients were screened during outpatient EP clinic visits approximately two to four weeks before their ablation. and online from an AF disease-specific patient website. All patients were recruited over a one year period from two settings: from our clinical setting at an academic medical center in the southeastern U.S. Demographics and clinical history were collected by self-administered questionnaire and verified during telephone interviews. The study included questionnaires and telephone interviews (pre-ablation, and one, three, six months after the procedure). ![]() This was a descriptive pilot study to explore patient experiences and symptoms during the first six months following an AF ablation. Because the literature reflects no data on the patient perspective of recovery following an AF ablation, we wanted to explore the patient perspective of this six month period. The purpose of this small-scale exploratory study was two-fold: (1) to examine symptom trajectories (both affective and physical symptoms) patients experience during the initial six months following an AF ablation, and (2) to examine the feasibility of recruitment/retention and the appropriateness of the measurement tools for a larger study. It is currently unknown which symptoms and time points are most difficult for AF patients during this recovery. 4, 7 The current guidelines advise electrophysiology (EP) physicians to judge the success of the AF ablation procedure no earlier than six months post-ablation because patients could be experiencing recurrences of AF during the entire six month period. 3, 4 These early episodes of AF or other atrial arrhythmias, which can be associated with rapid ventricular rates, predispose patients to a variety of difficult symptom challenges. 3, 4 The first three months after AF ablation are referred to as the “3-month blanking period”, where recurrences of AF or other atrial arrhythmias are common and do not necessarily indicate procedure failure. 5, 6 However, AF ablation frequently results in temporary increased atrial arrhythmias and worsened symptoms in the first three to six months after the procedure with reported incidence ranging from 1.2–40%. 1– 4 Researchers have reported that recovery after supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) ablation is fairly rapid (return to work at 2–4 days post-ablation) with rare extended adverse effects. 1– 4 Catheter ablation is a widely accepted treatment whose primary benefit is to decrease AF episodes and symptoms. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia seen worldwide and has significant economic impact on health care costs.
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