title: Is ablation of atrial flutter always safe?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Radiofrequency ablation of typical atrial flutter is largely used and is considered as safe. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the prevalence and the causes of severe adverse event (AE) following atrial flutter ablation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ablation of typical flutter was performed by conventional method with an 8-mm-tip electrode catheter, a maximum power of 70 W, and a maximum target temperature of 70° for 60 seconds in 883 patients, (685 males and 198 females aged from 18 to 93 years [64 ± 11.5]; 664 had heart disease [HD]).
  
  
  RESULTS
  AE occurred in 44 patients (5%). AE was life threatening in 14 patients: poorly tolerated bradycardia (transient complete atrioventricular block [AVB] or sinus bradycardia [SB] <40 beats per minute) associated with cardiac shock and acute renal failure in five patients, tamponade (n = 1), bleeding leading to death (n = 1), various AE-related deaths (n = 2), ventricular tachycardia-related death (n = 1), definitive complete AVB (n = 3), and right coronary artery occlusion-related complete AVB (n = 1). Less serious AE occurred in 30 patients: transitory major SB or second- or third-degree AVB (n = 23), bleeding (n = 4), transient ischemic attack (n = 1), and various AE (n = 2). Most of the bradycardia was related to β-blockers or other antiarrhythmic drugs used to slow atrial flutter. Factors of AE were female gender (36% vs 22%, P < 0.02) and the presence of ischemic (P < 0.03) or valvular HD (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AE following atrial flutter ablation occurred in 5% of patients. Most of them are avoidable by control of anticoagulants and arrest of rate-control drugs used to slow the rate of atrial flutter.
authors: Department of Cardiology, CHU of Brabois, Vandoeuvre les Nancy, France. b.brembilla-perrot@chu-nancy.fr
authors: Beatrice
authors: B
authors: Brembilla-Perrot
authors: Mourad Lemdersi
authors: ML
authors: Filali
authors: Pierre-Yves
authors: PY
authors: Zinzius
authors: Jean-Marc
authors: JM
authors: Sellal
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Beurrier
authors: Jerome
authors: J
authors: Schwartz
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: DE Chillou
authors: Gabriel
authors: G
authors: Cismaru
authors: Mahesh
authors: M
authors: Pauriah
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001282:Atrial Flutter / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality*; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult