Study design
The AF-TRACER study is a single-centre, retrospective observational study conducted at the Royal Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, UK. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and Good Clinical Practice guidelines. Anonymised data were obtained from the institutional electronic database normally utilized for patient care and therefore the need for informed consent was waived by the institutional Medical Ethical Committee. Baseline, rhythm analysis, operative, and outcome data were prospectively collected, validated and entered into the administrative database, which was analysed retrospectively.