Shorten the Blanking Period After Atrial Fibrillation Ablation, Experts Say
April 18, 2024 — New evidence-based research calls into question the conventional three-month blanking period immediately after atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation, when early occurrences of AF are thought not to predict long-term AF recurrence. Two articles and an accompanying editorial in Heart Rhythm, the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society, the Cardiac Electrophysiology Society, and the Pediatric & Congenital Electrophysiology Society, published by Elsevier, address the controversy and recommend shortening the blanking period. Early recurrence of atrial tachyarrhythmia (ERAT) is commonly seen following catheter ablation of AF, with reported incidences of up to 61% in the first three months. ERAT is often attributed to transient inflammation induced by tissue damage during ablation and short-term imbalances in autonomic innervation. This forms the physiologic rationale for the accepted convention of a three-month blanking period, during which arrhythmia recurrences are presum