Does rhythm control therapy using catheter ablation reduce the risk of ischemic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation?
Rhythm control via catheter ablation is an emerging strategy for AF, but its efficacy in preventing stroke and allowing safe discontinuation of oral anticoagulation requires confirmation from ongoing large-scale randomized trials.
Atrial fibrillation is a major cardiac cause of stroke, and a pathogenesis involving thrombus formation in patients with atrial fibrillation is well established. A strategy for rhythm control that involves catheter ablation and anticoagulation therapy is evolving. A strategy for rhythm control that restores and maintains sinus rhythm should reduce the risk of ischemic stroke that is associated with atrial fibrillation; however, this is yet to be proven in large-scale randomized controlled trials. This paper reviews the emerging role of rhythm control therapy for atrial fibrillation to prevent stroke.
Kim et al. (Tue,) studied this question.