The era of catheter ablation for the treatment of arrhythmias began in 1981, when Dr. Melvin Scheinman performed the first atrioventricular junction ablation using direct-current shocks in a patient with drug-refractory atrial fibrillation and an uncontrolled ventricular rate.1 Because of the barotrauma associated with intracardiac high-energy shocks, direct-current catheter ablation played onl...

The era of catheter ablation for the treatment of arrhythmias began in 1981 when Dr. Melvin Scheinman performed the first atrioventricular junction ablation using direct current shocks in a patient with drug refractory atrial fibrillation and an uncontrolled ventricular rate.1 Because of the barotrauma associated with intracardiac, high energy shocks, direct current catheter ablation played onl...

BACKGROUND Despite technical refinements and improved long-term efficacy of the ablation procedure for treating AFL (AFL), the subsequent occurrence of AF (AF) following this procedure remains a significant clinical problem. OBJECTIVES To determine long-term incidence and predictors of AF after catheter ablation of typical AFL. MATERIAL AND METHODS Between March 2005 and February 2010, a to...

BACKGROUND Ablation of complex arrhythmias would be greatly facilitated by more precise control of ablation catheters. A feasibility study was performed in animals to evaluate a novel magnetic guidance system (MGS) that generates a magnetic field to control the movement and position of a magnetic ablation catheter. METHODS AND RESULTS The MGS is composed of a digital biplanar fluoroscope with...

AIMS Although arrhythmia surgery and radiofrequency catheter ablation to cure atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia differ in technical concept, the late results of both methods, in terms of elimination of the arrhythmogenic substrate and procedure-related new and different arrhythmias, have never been compared. This constituted the purpose of this prospective follow-up study. METHODS ...

BACKGROUND Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is an established treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF). During PVI an electrical conduction block between pulmonary vein (PV) and left atrium (LA) is created. This conduction block prevents AF, which is triggered by irregular electric activity originating from the PV. However, transmural atrial lesions are required which can be challenging. Re-conduct...

THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation represents an important advance in the management of children with cardiac arrhythmias and has rapidly become the standard and effective line of therapy for supraventricular tachycardias (SVTs) in pediatrics. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the intermediate term follow up results of radiofrequency catheter ablation in trea...

BACKGROUND A common strategy for ablation of scar-based ventricular tachycardia is delivering multiple lesions in a linear pattern. METHODS AND RESULTS We tested the efficacy of a novel linear irrigated multipolar ablation catheter capable of creating linear lesions with a single application. Healthy swine underwent endocardial and epicardial linear ablation using a novel linear irrigated abl...