Early Aggressive Invasive Intervention for Atrial Fibrillation

The EARLY-AF study is centered on an evaluation of the impact of the early invasive management of Atrial Fibrillation. The primary goal of the study is to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of an early invasive approach. Specifically, the investigators are aiming to evaluate if PVI performed with the Arctic Front cryoballoon is superior to AAD as first-line therapy in preventing atrial arrhythmia recurrences (arrhythmia related symptoms, hospitalisations, and health care utilization) and health care utilisation at one year of follow-up. The aim of the extended follow-up phase of the trial (PROGRESSIVE-AF) is to evaluate if the initial treatment choice (ablation vs. pharmacotherapy) influences AF disease progression, as measured by continuous cardiac monitoring. The outcomes of interest are disease progression, quality of life, and healthcare utilisation.