CHICAGO – The largest-ever randomized trial of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation ended in a draw, but there may be a clear winner for some patients.
Safety and 1-year efficacy of radiofrequency ablation and cryoballoon ablation were roughly 65% in both treatment arms of the 769-patient Fire and Ice trial.
However, in an interview at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, principal investigator Dr. Karl-Heinz Kuck of Asklepios Klinik St. Georg, Hamburg, Germany, explains why the results are actually a victory for cryoablation.