Results:
A total of 106 patients underwent AFl ablation during the study period (mean age 64±14; 78.3% male). Mean CHA2DS2VaSC score was 3±1. OAC (warfarin 42.5%) was continued for at least 4 weeks post CA in all patients. OAC was discontinued by 6 weeks in 17% of patients and by 1 year in 55.7% (Figure 1A ). OAC was continued indefinitely in 44.3%. Most common reasons for continued OAC included history of AF, new onset AF on follow up or other non-arrhythmic indications for OAC. Over a mean follow up of 28.6±27.3 months, 2.8% of patients developed AFl recurrence and 33% developed AF. The median time to AF occurrence was 7.4 months (interquartile range, 0.9-24.4). During the study period, one patient (CHA2DS2VaSC 2) in the OAC discontinuation group developed a stroke 32 months after CA. There was no AF detected and the stroke was atherosclerotic by imaging. There were no thromboembolic events in the OAC continuation group. There were 3 major bleeding events in the OAC continuation group compared to none in whom OAC was discontinued (p<0.001). All bleeding events were gastrointestinal that required either an endoscopy and/or blood transfusion. In the OAC discontinuation group, 12 (20.3%) patients developed AF during follow up. Mean time to occurrence of AF was 30.2±26 months (Figure 1B ). Mean CHA2DS2VaSC score of these patients was 2.6±1.7. Nine patients were restarted on OAC with mean duration of 30.1±24.6 months between OAC discontinuation and restarting.