The historic-af trial is the first prospective, multicentre, single arm study designed to evaluate the outcomes of staged endoscopic and transcatheter ablation in patients with standalone, persistent or long standing persistent af.The trial recruited hundred patients with non-paroxysmal af refractory to medical therapy, at different european sites.Study methods include thoracoscopic surgical approach providing left atrial epicardial isolation (box-lesion); and in the case of af recurrency after the blanking period (3 months), transcatheter ablation.Study results included, survival and freedom from macce at 30 days was 94%, 30-day mortality was nil, two peri-operative strokes occurred on the second and third days post procedure, both without permanent sequelae.
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