2026 AF Symposium Overview: Written for Atrial Fibrillation Patients and Their Families

By Steve S. Ryan, PhD

The 31^st annual International AF Symposium was held in Boston February 5-7, 2026. (This is where the AF Symposium originally started back in 1995. I’ve been attending since 2003—that’s 24 years!)

This intense 3-day seminar took place at the Omni Seaport hotel, a well-designed, ultra-modern conference venue. The weather in Boston was freezing cold with a snowstorm on Saturday.

This Symposium featured presentations by 92 leaders in A-Fib research and clinical practice from all over the world. These medical scientists, clinicians, and researchers shared recent developments in the A-Fib field in a forum unmatched by other conference.

The 2026 AF Symposium™ Scientific Program, with participant names and affiliations, is online here.

Technical Scientific Sessions

Unlike other conferences, the attendees gathered in a giant hall with huge monitors and great audio. Attendees never had to move to different rooms. The presenters came to us.

Included were 40 lectures, 30 live and prerecorded procedure cases and 11 Spotlight sessions describing new technologies, 14 late breaking sessions, with 100 presentations and 103 abstracts. There was also an Exhibits hall featuring various device and software manufacturers.

Sessions were extensive and information-rich with each of the three long, full days starting at 7:30 AM. Sessions continued until 7:00 PM on Thursday and Friday. (On Thursday evening, there was a reception for all attendees, faculty and industry representatives and included a live band.)  Saturday’s Symposium session ended earlier at 4:00 PM but was then followed by the AF Symposium Fellows Program, an extensive 4-hour program for AF Symposium Fellows moderated by Moussa Mansour, MD.

Dominating the Symposium: Live And Pre-recorded Cases; Artificial Intelligence’s Effect On A-Fib

Procedure cases dominated this year’s AF Symposium. The 7 sessions presented 30 live and prerecorded cases from the U.S. and around the world. (Last year there were 24 case transmissions.)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) was everywhere and was a part of many different sessions and presentations.

Key Subtext—Examination And Questioning of Pulsed Field Ablation

The key subtext or preoccupation of the 2026 AF Symposium for me was a more critical examination and questioning of Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA).

A sobering moment was the very disturbing news of two sudden cardiac deaths after PFA as reported in Circulation, the December 2025 issue.

There were 2 full sessions on the Safety of Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA). The incidence of Coronary Artery Spasm during Pulsed Field Ablation was discussed throughout the AF Symposium.

2026 AF Symposium Abstracts: Increased Importance And Relevance

Abstracts are concise summaries of research, presented as “posters” and displayed on panels in a long hallway.

I was amazed at how much important and new information for patients was included in this year’s abstracts.

There were 103 abstracts (last year there were around 60). They contained as much or sometimes more news for patients as the Symposium itself.

(I’m writing summaries on selected abstracts to explain their relevance to patients.)

Noteworthy Innovation: The New Normal—Concomitant Ablation

Combining A-Fib Ablation with Left Atrium Appendage (LAA) closure, i.e., concomitant ablation, seems to have become a standardized or normal practice at many centers.

You may remember from last’s year’s Symposium that concomitant ablation was considered “innovative.” That is no longer the case.

I counted 9 sessions and/or cases dealing with concomitant ablation procedures.

(I predicted back in 2025 that the combined approach will be what most patients choose. “Who  wants to go back to a hospital twice when a single procedure will both stop A-Fib and protect against stroke.”)

The Two Most Important Studies—ALONE-AF and OCEAN

Two clinical trials, ALONE-AF and OCEAN, concluded that you don’t have to continue taking anticoagulants for life after a catheter ablation. This is probably the most consequential finding for us patients as most of us don’t want to be on an anticoagulant.

(Blood thinners are not benign drugs and can cause common complications such as bleeding in the brain, even death.) (See my report: Anticoagulants Increase Risk of Hemorrhagic-Type Strokes.)

Spotlight Session—New and Emerging Technologies in EP

There were 11 presentations on new devices and technologies to treat A-Fib (5 minute each), which included a prerecorded lecture by Aneesh Deoras of the FDA.

I will report on the ones that seemed most relevant to patients.

GLP-1s (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists) mimic a natural gut hormone to regulate blood sugar, slow gastric emptying, and increase satiety.

Only Moderate Interest in GLP-1s

I was surprised at what seemed to be only moderate interest in GLP-1s and how they can affect patients with Atrial Fibrillation.

GLP-1 medications are primarily used to improve type 2 diabetes and weight loss. But they also have cardiovascular benefits, such as reducing major adverse cardiovascular events. There was only one presentation on GLP-1s, though they were discussed somewhat in other lectures.

CHA2DS2-VASc: Female Sex No Longer Stroke Risk Factor in Canada

It was announced at the Symposium that the Canadian Society of Cardiology Guideline now uses the CHADS-65 criteria to recommend oral anticoagulation, rather than CHA2DS2-VASc that’s in use in the US. Canada also now uses a single age cutoff of 65 to trigger treatment.

I have never understood how being a woman means you automatically have a 1-point increased risk of stroke. I totally agree with Canada. Hopefully, someday soon the rest of the world will catch up.

Most Prolific Contributor

Dr. Vivek Reddy of Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York was the most prolific contributor to the 2026 AF Symposium. He was a faculty presenter/panel member in 15 different sessions. As with previous AF Symposiums. Dr. Reddy’s research, insights, and contributions are a crucial and irreplaceable part of the AF Symposium.

Noteworthy Quotes

Anticoagulants: Dr. John Day of St. Mark’s hospital, Salt Lake City, UT made a point in a panel discussion about the OCEAN study that “anticoagulants are not popular with patients.” Most don’t want to be on blood thinners, especially for life.

Waiting List for Ablations: So many people are developing A-Fib that all too many centers and countries are being overwhelmed by A-Fib cases and requests for catheter ablations. The current waiting list for a catheter ablation in Canada is 2 years. In Bordeaux, France it’s six months.

Worldwide Live Procedures & Case Presentations

We were treated to 30 various A-Fib ablation and device case demonstrations—both live and pre-recorded. Featured were EP lab/operating room procedures from the U.S. and around the world including Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany and Switzerland.

On Thursday February 7th, there were case presentations from:

• OLV Hospital Aalst, Belgium
• Centrum Bethanien, Frankfort, Germany
• Hirslanden St. Anna Hospital, Lucerne, Switzerland
• Charleston Health Center, Charleston, SC
• Tulane Medical Center, New Orleans, LA
• Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
• Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute, Austin, TX

On Friday February 8th, there were case presentations from:

• Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY
• St. Bernard’s Heart & Vascular Center, Jonesboro, AR
• University Clinical Hospital, Split, Croatia
• IKEM, Prague, Czech Republic
• Baptist Health, Jacksonville, FL
• Aurora Denver Cardiology, Aurora, CO
• Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute , Austin, TX
• Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX
• Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital, New York, NY
• University of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ
• Na Homoice Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic

On Saturday February 9th there were case presentations from:

• Na Homoice Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic (x2)
• Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
• Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute, Austin, TX
• Pacific Heart Institute, Santa Monica, CA
• St. Jan University, Brugge-Oostende Belgium
• St. Bernard’s Heart & Vascular Center, Jonesboro, AR (x3)
• Southlake Regional Health Centre, Toronto, Canada
• Piedmont Hospital, Atlanta, GA
• German Heart Centre Munich, Munich, Germany

More Reports to Come

In addition to the many lectures and panel discussions, I’ll be writing reports on many of the live and pre-recorded EP lab/operating room procedures as well as many of the Spotlight cases demonstrating various devices. Look for my reports from the 2026 AF Symposium in the next weeks and months.

I will announce them on Steve’s A-Fib Blog. So visit A-Fib.com every week for my newest AF Symposium reports as well as other Atrial Fibrillation news and posts. You can also visit the 2026 AF Symposium Reports page for the list of all my published reports.

My goal is to share with A-Fib.com readers the current state of the art in A-Fib research and clinical practice, what’s relevant to A-Fib patients and their families and friends. This is all in an effort to help A-Fib patients make the best decisions on their treatment choices.

In the meantime, you may want to browse my reports from the 2025 AF Symposium, or the Archive of AF Symposiums Summaries by Year.

If you find any errors on this page, email us. Y  Last updated: Friday, April 10, 2026

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