Professor Rolf Wachter presents trial results showing catheter ablation does not significantly improve quality of life for atrial fibrillation patients.
Professor Rolf Wachter presented the results of the PVI-SHAM-AF trial at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2026, revealing that catheter ablation does not provide a statistically significant advantage over a sham procedure in improving quality of life for patients with atrial fibrillation. While ablation successfully reduced the frequency and burden of the arrhythmia, the AFEQT scores—a validated measure of symptoms and treatment satisfaction—showed similar improvements in both the ablation and sham groups after six months. This finding challenges the long-held clinical assumption that a reduction in arrhythmia episodes was directly synonymous with a powerful improvement in subjective patient experience. The trial, which included 262 patients across nine centers in Germany and Poland, suggests that the placebo effect and the caring signal of a clinician's attention may significantly influence how patients perceive their symptoms. The results encourage a medical community to move beyond repetitive procedures and focus more on understanding the underlying pathophysiology of the condition.