{
  "abstract": "Frailty is an increasingly recognized marker of biological vulnerability in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Although catheter ablation (CA) is an established rhythm-control strategy, atrial tachyarrhythmia (AT) recurrence remains common, particularly in patients with advanced age and comorbidity burden. The impact of frailty on post-ablation recurrence has not been systematically quantified. We systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library for studies evaluating the association between frailty and AT recurrence following CA for AF. Eligible studies compared frail and non-frail adults undergoing CA and reported post-procedural recurrence. Pooled risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model. Four studies totaling 1096 patients were included, of whom 266 (24.3%) were frail. Across the included studies, the mean age of participants ranged from approximately 61 to 76 years. Frailty was associated with a significantly higher risk of AT recurrence after CA compared with non-frailty (RR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.26-1.94; P < .001; I ² = 0%). This association remained significant in subgroup analyses limited to studies with ≤12 months of follow-up (RR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.13-1.89; P = .004; I ² = 0%). Leave-one-out sensitivity analyses confirmed robustness. In conclusion, frailty is independently associated with increased AT recurrence following CA for AF and should be considered in pre-procedural risk stratification.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Medicine, Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center, Plainsboro, NJ, USA.",
    "Department of Cardiology, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA.",
    "Department of Medicine, Metropolitan Hospital Center, New York, NY, USA.",
    "Department of Cardiology, Ankara City Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Ankara, Turkey."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Mustafa Bilal Ozbay",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-2760-1028"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Mehmet Esad Demirhan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Serhat Degirmen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Firat Ozcan"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e30p1pztdz14e.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.19102/icrm.2026.17076",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13679921",
  "id": "e30p1pztdz14e",
  "issns": [
    "2156-3977",
    "2156-3993"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42899030",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2705|Atrial Fibrillation Management and Outcomes"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223150908",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13679921?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13679921",
  "pmid": "42899030",
  "published": "2026-07-15",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e30p1pztdz14e.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:42Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42899030",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42899030"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2705|Atrial Fibrillation Management and Outcomes",
      "subfield": "cardiovascular"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Impact of Frailty on Recurrence After Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.",
  "title_text": "Impact of Frailty on Recurrence After Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:42Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e30p1pztdz14e",
  "venue": "The Journal of innovations in cardiac rhythm management",
  "versions": []
}