title: Mechanisms and clinical significance of early recurrences of atrial arrhythmias after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation.
abstract: Early recurrence of atrial arrhythmias (ERAA) after ablation is common and strongly predicts late recurrences and ablation failure. However, since arrhythmia may eventually resolve in up to half of patients with ERAA, guidelines do not recommend immediate reintervention for ERAA episodes occurring during a 3-mo post-ablation blanking period. Certain clinical demographic, electrophysiologic, procedural, and ERAA-related characteristics may predict a higher likelihood of long-term ablation failure. In this review, we aim to discuss potential mechanisms of ERAA, and to summarize the clinical significance, prognostic implications, and treatment options for ERAA.
authors.affiliation: Jackson J Liang, Sanjay Dixit, Pasquale Santangeli, Division of Cardiology, Electrophysiology Section, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States.
authors.forename: Jackson J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Jackson J Liang, Sanjay Dixit, Pasquale Santangeli, Division of Cardiology, Electrophysiology Section, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States.
authors.forename: Sanjay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dixit
authors.affiliation: Jackson J Liang, Sanjay Dixit, Pasquale Santangeli, Division of Cardiology, Electrophysiology Section, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States.
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Santangeli
keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Catheter ablation; Pulmonary vein isolation; Recurrence