Introduction
Catheter ablation is an effective, minimally invasive therapy for patients with symptomatic drug-refractory atrial fibrillation (AF), and pulmonary vein isolation by cryoballoon ablation is an established treatment option.1 The risks associated with catheter ablation for the treatment of AF are generally low; however, patients are typically observed overnight following the ablation procedure to monitor for complications that may manifest within the first 24-hours post-procedure (e.g ., access site complication, pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade).1
Same-day discharge (SDD) protocols have been used effectively in other cardiac interventions,2, 3 and recently SDD protocols have been evaluated for catheter ablation of patients with AF using both radiofrequency and cryoballoon catheters.4, 5
In the present study, a multicenter retrospective chart-review analysis was utilized to evaluate safety and efficacy of SDD following a cryoballoon ablation for AF across three high volume and geographically diverse centers within the US in a large group of patients. The economic impact of a SDD protocol was also evaluated and compared between the centers.