Progression of Atrial Fibrillation after Cryoablation or Drug Therapy – EARLY-AF Study

This study reports on a 3-year follow-up of patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation who were randomly assigned to undergo initial rhythm-control therapy with cryoballoon ablation or receive antiarrhythmic drug therapy. The study found that initial treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with catheter cryoballoon ablation resulted in a lower incidence of persistent atrial fibrillation or recurrent atrial tachyarrhythmia over 3 years of follow-up compared to initial use of antiarrhythmic drugs. Additionally, patients in the ablation group had a lower percentage of time in atrial fibrillation, fewer hospitalizations, and fewer serious adverse events.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2212540?query=featured_home