Percutaneous interventions in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation: left atrial ablation and left atrial appendage occlusion

Heart rhythm disturbances become of special importance when patients reach a senior age. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent arrhythmia among the old age groups, and its impact on morbidity and mortality becomes of paramount significance. In this population, AF is responsible for significant amount of thromboembolic cerebrovascular events, especially for disabling and fatal strokes. Following announcement of the special issue of the Journal of Geriatric Cardiology devoted to heart rhythm disorders in the elderly, a number of submissions have been received with AF as the major topic of authors’ researches. Here we would like to introduce this special issue, which finally included clinical research papers on age-related differences in outcomes of AF catheter ablation, AF-related stroke hospitalizations, mortality predictors in patients with AF, stroke prevention using left atrial appendage (LAA) occluder implantation. Additionally, a clinical research paper describes predictors of heart rhythm disturbances in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension, and a paper describes ventricular tachycardia suppression by renal denervation in patients with left heart thrombosis and contraindications to conventional endocardial substrate modification. Having included into the issue two controversial topics of special importance, AF catheter ablation and LAA occluder implantation in the elderly, we decided to discuss them in the light of other recently published studies.