The Lead Episode 16: A Discussion of Performance of the REAL-AF Same-Day Discharge Protocol in Patients Undergoing Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation-JACC EP

JACC EP

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A large, multicenter prospective study evaluated the efficacy and safety of a standardized same-day discharge (SDD) protocol for patients undergoing catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF). The study used the REAL-AF SDD protocol, which included eligibility criteria to identify low-risk patients and discharge criteria to determine successful SDD. Of the 2,332 patients included in the study, 85% of patients were identified as potential candidates for SDD. The primary efficacy endpoint, the success rate of SDD, was achieved in 86.1% of patients. The readmission rate for the SDD group was similar to the non-SDD group. The SDD group had a lower rate of acute complications compared to the non-SDD group, with no significant difference in subacute complications between the groups. Freedom from all-atrial arrhythmias was comparable between the SDD and non-SDD groups. The study concluded that the standardized SDD protocol demonstrated the safety of SDD after catheter ablation of AF. These findings provide evidence for the implementation of a consistent and standardized approach to SDD after catheter ablation of AF. Further research is needed to optimize the success rate of the SDD protocol by addressing factors such as scheduling and social support.

Keywords

multicenter study

prospective study

efficacy

safety

same-day discharge

catheter ablation

atrial fibrillation

REAL-AF SDD protocol

low-risk patients

discharge criteria