Dr Marco Schiavone (Centro Cardiologico Monzino IRCCS, Milan, IT) and Dr Claudio Tondo (Monzino Cardiologic Centre, Milan, IT) discuss long-term durability data from an 8-year follow-up study of cryoballoon pulmonary vein isolation for atrial fibrillation.

In this Journal Club session, the experts dig into real-world evidence on the extended durability of cryoballoon ablation, tackling key questions around late recurrence patterns, pulmonary vein reconnection rates, and long-term freedom from atrial arrhythmias. Drawing on findings from a large Italian registry of 1,330 patients across 13 institutions, they explore a 53.5% recurrence rate at eight years, and a marked shift in the slope of Kaplan-Meier curves beyond the five-year mark, pointing to a distinct change in late clinical outcomes.

Drs Schiavone and Tondo make the case for an "earlier the better" approach to intervention to prevent disease progression, and look ahead to whether the unique biophysics of pulsed field ablation (PFA) could ultimately deliver even more durable lesions.

Recorded onsite at AF Symposium 2026, Boston.
Editor: Jordan Rance
Videographer: Oliver Miles
Support: This is an independent production by Radcliffe Cardiology for Arrhythmia Academy.