Causes and Predictors of Readmission in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Undergoing Catheter Ablation: A National Population‐Based Cohort Study

Background Reducing readmission after catheter ablation (CA) in atrial fibrillation (AF) is important. Methods and Results We utilized National Readmission Data (NRD) 2010–2014. AF was identified by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition, Clinical Modification (ICD‐9‐CM) diagnostic code 427.31 in the primary field, while first CA of AF was identified via ICD‐9‐procedure code 37.34. Any admission within 30 or 90 days of index admission was considered a readmission. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to adjust for confounders. The primary outcomes were 30‐ and 90‐day readmissions and the secondary outcome was AF recurrence. In total, 1 128 372 patients with AF were identified from January 1, 2010 to September 30, 2014. Of which 37 360 (3.3%) underwent CA. Patients aged ≥65 years and female sex were less likely to receive CA for AF. Overall, 10.9% and 16.5% of CA patients were readmitted within 30 and 90 days post‐CA, respectively. Most common causes of readmissions were arrhythmia ...