Complications Associated With Catheter Ablation in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: A Report From the JROAD‐DPC Study

BACKGROUND: Aging is one of the major concerns and determinants of the indications for catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation. This study aimed to assess the safety of CA in older patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing CA. METHODS AND RESULTS: The JROAD‐DPC (Japanese Registry of All Cardiac and Vascular Diseases‐Diagnosis Procedure Combination) is a nationwide claims database using data from the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination/Per Diem Payment System. Among 6 632 484 records found between April 2012 and March 2018 from 1058 hospitals, 135 299 patients with atrial fibrillation (aged 65±10 years, 38 952 women) who underwent CA in 456 hospitals were studied and divided into the following age groups: <60, 60 to 64, 65 to 69, 70 to 74, 75 to 79, 80 to 84, and ≥85 years. The overall in‐hospital complication rate was 3.4% (cardiac tamponade 1.2%), and in‐hospital mortality was 0.04%. Older patients had a higher prevalence of women, lower body mass index, and a higher burden of comorbidities such as hypertension, and all of those characteristics were predictors for complications in multivariate analysis. A multivariate adjusted odds ratio revealed that increased age was independently and significantly associated with overall complications (60–64 years, 1.19; 65–69 years, 1.29; 70–74 years, 1.57; 75–79 years, 1.63; 80–84 years, 1.90; and ≥85 years, 2.86; the reference was <60 years). CONCLUSIONS: The nationwide JROAD‐DPC database demonstrated that the frequency of complications following CA in patients with atrial fibrillation increased according to age.