A perspective on the role of catheter ablation in the management of tachyarrhythmias.

The first clinical application of a catheter ablation technique was to create complete atrioventricular (AV) block by the transcatheter delivery of a direct-current shock to the AV junction in patients with supraventricular tachycardia refractory to pharmacologic therapy.^'^ This was followed by attempts at catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia (VT) foci, accessory pathways, and atrial tachycardia foci. The purpose of this article is to provide a perspective on the current role of these catheter ablation techniques in the management of patients with tachyarrhythmias.