Influence of advancing age on clinical presentation, treatment efficacy and safety, and long-term outcome of pre-excitation syndromes: a retrospective cohort study of 961 patients included over a 25-year period

{Objectives There are very little data on pre-excitation syndrome (PS) in the elderly. We investigated the influence of advancing age on clinical presentation, treatment and long-term outcome of PS. Setting Single-centre retrospective study of patient files. Participants In all, 961 patients (72 patients 60years (mean 68.56), 889 patients <60years (mean 30.514)) referred for overt pre-excitation and indication for electrophysiological study (EPS) were followed for 5.35years. Usual care included 24h Holter monitoring, echocardiography and EPS. Patients underwent accessory pathway (AP) ablation if necessary. Primary and secondary outcome measures Occurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) or procedure-induced adverse event. Results Electrophysiological data and recourse to AP ablation (43% vs 48.5%