Atrial fibrillation: what are the targets for intervention?
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a difficult and growing problem in the population. While medical therapy controls symptoms in many patients, a proportion of individuals with this common arrhythmia cannot be optimally managed with drugs alone. However, truly curative therapy for AF has always been one of the "holy grails" of electrophysiology. The surgical maze procedure was the first to offer permanent maintenance of sinus rhythm in patients with AF but subjected the patient to open heart surgery; a catheter-based translation of the maze procedure served as proof of concept that a catheterization technique could be used to treat AF. Subsequent experience has narrowed the electrophysiologist's attention to ablation of triggers of AF, most often residing in the pulmonary veins, rather than requiring more extensive ablation lines to control the arrhythmia. The following discussion deals with the development and current status of techniques for catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation, focusing on determination of appropriate target sites for ablation.
Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Krannert Institute of Cardiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, 1800 N. Capitol Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA. jmiller6@iupui.edu
John M
JM
Miller
Jeffrey E
JE
Olgin
Mithilesh K
MK
Das
D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D018780:Body Surface Potential Mapping; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence