Invasive techniques such as radiofrequency ablation offer therapeutic options for elderly patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation refractory to medical therapy.
May support ablation consideration in select refractory elderly AF; leaves open need for dedicated RCTs.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia encountered by caregivers for the elderly. A plethora of new, mostly invasive techniques have evolved to treat patients who remain symptomatic from this arrhythmia despite attempts at pharmacological therapy.1-4 The most widely-used of these new techniques is radiofrequency ablation, but in selected patients, special types of pacemaker, cryoablation, and surgical maze therapy may be of benefit.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Asirvatham et al. (2010) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: