title: Useful clinical features for the selection of ideal patients with atrial fibrillation for mapping and catheter ablation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify useful clinical characteristics for selecting patients eligible for mapping and ablation of atrial fibrillation.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 9 patients with atrial fibrillation, without structural heart disease, associated with: 1) antiarrhythmic drugs, 2) symptoms of low cardiac output, and 3) intention to treat. Seven patients had paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and 2 had recurrent atrial fibrillation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the 6 patients who underwent mapping (all had paroxysmal atrial fibrillation), catheter ablation was successfully carried out in superior pulmonary veins in 5 patients (the first 3 in the left superior pulmonary vein and the last 2 in the right superior pulmonary vein). One patient experienced a recurrence of atrial fibrillation after 10 days. We observed that patients who had short episodes of atrial fibrillation on 24-hour Holter monitoring before the procedure were those in whom mapping the focus of tachycardia was possible. Tachycardia was successfully suppressed in 4 of 6 patients. The cause of failure was due to the impossibility of maintaining sinus rhythm long enough for efficient mapping.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients experiencing short episodes of atrial fibrillation during 24-hour Holter monitoring were the most eligible for mapping and ablation, with a final success rate of 66%, versus the global success rate of 44%. Patients with persistent atrial fibrillation were not good candidates for focal ablation.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Angelina Caron, Campina Grande do Sul, PR. Niraj@netbank.com.br
authors.forename: Niraj
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mehta
authors.forename: Maria Zildany Pinheiro
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Távora
authors.forename: Noriaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takeschita
authors.forename: Edilberto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Figueiredo
authors.forename: Ricardo M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Lourenço
authors.forename: Hélio
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Germiniani
authors.forename: Dalton
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Précoma
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000379:methods*; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory; D022062:Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection