Atrial flutter: a focus on treatment options for a common supraventricular tachyarrhythmia.
Atrial flutter (AFl), a re-entrant atrial tachycardia, is a cardiac rhythm disturbance that arises in the upper chambers of the heart. This usually non-life-threatening condition can be treated by a number of medical intervention strategies, which include electrical cardioversion, pharmacological therapy, and catheter ablation. These options have been available in clinical practice for a number of years. However, catheter ablation, in the form of radiofrequency catheter ablation and cryo catheter ablation, is increasingly utilised as a first-line treatment option for AFl in certain patients. The purpose of this review article is two-fold: first, to briefly present an overview of AFl and the more familiar treatment options for this arrhythmia, and second to provide more in-depth coverage of catheter ablation technologies as a treatment option for patients with AFl. As part of the latter objective, recent clinical studies documenting the use of radiofrequency catheter ablation and cryo catheter ablation for AFl are presented and their results briefly discussed.
Andrew
Peter
P
ATLAS Medical Research Inc., Saint Lazare, Quebec, Canada.
Montenero
Annibale S
AS
D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001282:Atrial Flutter / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D004554:Electric Countershock / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D018579:Patient Selection; D013617:Tachycardia, Supraventricular / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*
D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents