Follow-up
Patients were arranged for outpatient clinical visits at the
3rd, 6th and 12thmonth after discharge, followed by yearly telephone communication. Extra
visits were required in symptomatic patients. Holter recording was
performed in all patients on the 3rd,
6th and 12th month. Recurrence was
defined as any documented atrial arrhythmias longer than 30 seconds
after a 3-month blanking period.