Efficacy and safety of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation in elderly patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Catheter ablation (CA) is a well-established therapy for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF); however, there is paucity of data for elderly patients. We aimed to assess long-term efficacy and safety of CA for elderly patients with AF. Methods Medline, BVS, Cochrane, and Embase were searched through April 2023 to investigate comparative outcomes between elderly patients > 75 or 80 years, as per-study cutoff, and individuals ≤ 75/80 years, undergoing CA. Primary efficacy and safety endpoints (AF recurrence and procedure-related major complications) were pooled with the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis 3.0 software. Subgroup analyses were performed by age groups and type of procedure (radiofrequency vs. cryoballoon). Results Four thousand eight hundred twenty-nine titles were screened, and 27 studies were included, being 26 observational and 1 randomized trial, comprising 117,869 patients, being 8714 (7.4%) elderly > 75/80 years, with follow-up from 11.7 to 72.3 months. In comparative studies ( N = 17 studies), elderly > 75/80 years had a higher risk of AF recurrence compared to those ≤ 75/80: relative risk (RR) 1.16 (95% CI 1.05–1.27, p = 0.002. However, funnel plot indicated publication bias, and after imputation of 5 studies, the groups were similar (RR 1.07 (95% CI 0.97–1.19)). The rates of major complications ( N = 14 studies) were higher in elderly > 75/80 years (RR 1.30 (95% CI 1.10–1.54), I 2 = 0, p = 0.002), but were similar in cryoablation studies ( N = 7) (RR 1.10, 95% CI 0.94–1.29, p = 0.24, I 2 = 0.0). Results were similar when individual study arms ( N = 27 studies) were pooled. Conclusion AF ablation is feasible in elderly patients > 75/80 years, with success rates compared to younger individuals. Complication rates, however, were higher. Graphical Abstract