Catheter ablation versus medical therapy for patients with persistent atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence from randomized controlled trials

Purpose The superiority of catheter ablation (CA) for persistent (and long-standing persistent) atrial fibrillation (AF) is currently not well defined. We performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the clinical outcomes of CA compared with medical therapy in persistent AF patients.