title: Emergency catheter ablation in critical patients.
abstract: Emergency catheter ablation is justified in critical patients with drug-refractory life-threatening arrhythmias. The procedure can be used for ablation of an accessory pathway in preexcitation syndrome with high risk of ventricular fibrillation and in patients with shock due to ischemic cardiomyopathy and incessant ventricular tachycardia. Emergency catheter ablation can also be justified in patients with an electrical storm of the implanted cardioverter-defibrillator or in patients with idiopathic ventricular fibrillation.
authors.affiliation: Medic Clinik I, Department of Cardiology, Angiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Klinikum Hildesheim, Weinberg 1, 31134 Hildesheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tebbenjohanns
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rühmkorf