Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation: Patient Selection, Techniques, and the Outcome

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia, affecting an estimated 2 million people in the United States (Table 1). The data from the Framingham indicate that the prevalence of AF increases with age, affecting as many as 4% of people 60 to 65 years of age, and 10% of those ? 80 years. AF can occur in the absence of underlying heart disease but is more frequent in connection with mitral valve disorder, heart failure, ischemic heart disease, and hypertension. In addition to the devastating symptoms, AF confers a four to five-fold increase in the risk of stroke compared to the general population; a significant risk of tachycardia mediated cardiomyopathy that has been associated with a doubling of all causes of mortality.1 During the past decade, limited success rates of drug treatment stimulated an exploration of interventional treatment options for AF. 2