August 1, 2002Open Access
View Full PaperCatheter ablation of atrial fibrillation
Key Result
Catheter ablation techniques, including focal and circumferential ablation, show extreme promise for providing permanent prophylaxis against atrial fibrillation.
Structured PICO
Do catheter ablation techniques provide permanent prophylaxis against atrial fibrillation?
P
Population
Patients with atrial fibrillation
I
Intervention
Catheter ablation techniques (focal ablation and circumferential ablation)
O
Outcome
Permanent prophylaxis against atrial fibrillation
Catheter ablation techniques, including focal and circumferential ablation, show early promise as alternatives to the surgical maze procedure for atrial fibrillation.
Abstract
Following the advent of the surgical maze procedure, several catheter techniques have been developed to provide permanent prophylaxis against atrial fibrillation. These noninvasive techniques work by compartmentalizing the atria, by ablating the arrhythmogenic foci, or by isolating the atria from these foci. Although still at an early stage of development, preliminary results using focal ablation and circumferential ablation show extreme promise.