Atrial fibrillation ablation has evolved considerably over the last few years. In this article we review current and past catheter ablation techniques, with a special focus on new simplified systems that allow a faster and simpler procedure, so called "one-shot" atrial fibrillation ablation.

INTRODUCTION There is emerging evidence for clinical superiority of catheter ablation over rate and rhythm control strategies in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). The objective of this study was to compare costs related to medical therapy versus catheter ablation for PAF in Ontario (Canada). METHODS Costs related to medical therapy in the analysis included the cost of anticoagulation, rat...

BACKGROUND Catheter ablation of persistent atrial fibrillation yields an unsatisfactorily high number of failures. The hybrid approach has recently emerged as a technique that overcomes the limitations of both surgical and catheter procedures alone. METHODS AND RESULTS We investigated the sequential (staged) hybrid method, which consists of a surgical thoracoscopic radiofrequency ablation pro...

Catheter ablation is an evolving treatment option in patients with atrial fibrillation. Contrast enhanced electrocardiogram-gated multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) has rapidly evolved over the past few years into an important tool in the diagnosis of coronary atherosclerosis. There is increasing recognition that MDCT is a useful tool to evaluate non-coronary structures, such as cardiac ...

BACKGROUND Restoring sinus rhythm in patients with heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF) may improve left ventricular (LV) function and HF symptoms. We sought to compare the effect of a catheter ablation strategy with that of a medical rate control strategy in patients with persistent AF and HF. METHODS AND RESULTS Patients with persistent AF, symptomatic HF, and LV ejection fractio...

BACKGROUND Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is an established treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF). During PVI an electrical conduction block between pulmonary vein (PV) and left atrium (LA) is created. This conduction block prevents AF, which is triggered by irregular electric activity originating from the PV. However, transmural atrial lesions are required which can be challenging. Re-conduct...

background: atrial fibrillation is a common arrhythmia in patients with rheumatic mitral and other valve diseases who are candidates for valve repair surgeries. conversion of rhythm to sinus has positive effects on quality of life and lower use of medications. the aim of this clinical study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the radiofrequency ablation maze iii procedure in the treatment of a...

BACKGROUND The prospective, randomized study comparing 4- with 8-mm tip electrodes for radiofrequency linear ablation of typical atrial flutter is not available. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 104 consecutive patients with typical atrial flutter were randomly assigned to undergo radiofrequency linear ablation using a 4- (Group I, n=54) or 8-mm tip electrode (Group II, n=50) catheter (temperat...

Catheter ablation has transformed the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF); however, the rhythm outcomes in treating persistent AF are variable, often requiring multiple procedures to maintain long-term freedom from atrial arrhythmias. Electric isolation of the pulmonary veins (PVs) is central to catheter ablation strategies; however, focal sources and other arrhythmic substrates outside the P...

We performed a survey on current atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation techniques used for catheter ablation of AF among the European Heart Rhythm Association Research Network. The focus of this questionnaire is on the ablation strategy, such as the use of different lesion sets or sites of ablation in the various forms of AF, and on the technical aspects of catheter ablation with respect to energy ...