Abstract 15702: Oral Anticoagulation Therapy After Radiofrequency Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation and the Risk of Thromboembolism and Serious Bleeding: A Meta-analysis

Background: Many observational and retrospective studies showed safety of discontinuation of oral anticoagulation (OAT) in radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of atrial fibrillation (AF). We performed a meta-analysis comparing the effect on stroke/systemic thromboembolism (STE) and major bleeding events (MBE) in low risk (CHADS2 0-1) and high risk patients (CHADS2 ≥2) who underwent RFA for AF and stopped or continued OAT. Methods: We performed a comprehensive literature search using: OAT, RFA and AF in Pubmed, Ebsco and google scholar databases. The analysis in low risk (LR) patients included a total of 6 studies (4 prospective observational and two retrospective studies) and 7 studies (5 prospective observational and 2 retrospective studies) in high risk (HR) patients comparing STE and MBE between patients who discontinued and continued OAT after RFA for AF. OAT was discontinued at 3-6 months after RFA in all studies. Follow-up duration for studies ranged from 1 to 5 years. Results: Baseline characteristics, p...