Rhythm outcomes of minimally-invasive off-pump surgical versus catheter ablation in atrial fibrillation: A meta-analysis of reconstructed time-to-event data

Background: Mid- and long-term rhythm outcomes of catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) are reported to be suboptimal. Minimally invasive surgical off-pump ablation (MISOA), including both thoracoscopic and trans-diaphragmatic approaches, has been developed to reduce surgical invasiveness and overcome on-pump surgery drawbacks. We sought to compare the efficacy and safety of MISOA and CA for AF treatment. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature was performed including studies comparing MISOA and CA. The primary endpoint was survival freedom from AF at follow-up after a 3-month blanking period. Subgroup analysis of the primary endpoint was performed according to the type of surgical incision and hybrid approach. Results: Freedom from AF at 4 years was 52.1% ± 3.2% vs 29.1% ± 3.5%, between MISOA and CA respectively (log-rank p < 0.001; Hazard Ratio: 0.60 [95%Confidence Interval (CI):0.50-0.72], p < 0.001). At landmark analysis, a significant improvement in rhythm outcomes was observed in the MISOA group after the 5th month of follow-up (2 months from the blanking period). The Odds Ratio between MISOA and CA of postoperative cerebrovascular accident incidence and postoperative permanent pacemaker implant (PPM) were 2.00 (95%CI:0.91-4.40, p = 0.084) and 1.55 (95%CI:0.61-3.95, p = 0.358), respectively. The incidence rate ratio of late CVA between MISOA and CA was 0.86 (95%CI:0.28-2.65, p = 0.787), while for late PPM implant was 0.45 (95%CI:0.11-1.78, p = 0.256). Conclusions: The current meta-analysis suggests that MISOA provides superior rhythm outcomes when compared to CA in terms of sinus rhythm restoration. Despite the rhythm outcome superiority of MISOA, it is associated to higher postoperative complications compared to CA.