Calkins H, Gache L, Frame D, et al. - Given that recurrent arrhythmia post-catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) may develop early, during a standard 3-month blanking period, researchers performed a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to explore as well as to estimate the link between early and late arrhythmia recurrence, particularly the negative predictive value (the degree to which absence of blanking period recurrence predicts absence of late recurrence). They analyzed nine studies that met the pre-specified eligibility criteria. Freedom from late recurrence was noted in 89% of patients free from early recurrence, in paroxysmal AF. For persistent AF, a similar estimate was obtained. Overall, longer-term success in catheter ablation was highly predicted when there was no AF recurrence during the blanking period.