A 26-year-old woman in her first pregnancy presented with persistent atrial tachycardia (AT). AT was resistant to medications, cardioversions, and the first attempt of catheter ablation. Two months after delivery she developed severe systolic dysfunction and circulatory collapse. Emergent catheter ablation was performed with the support of percutaneous cardiopulmonary bypass and intraaortic bal...

BACKGROUND Radiofrequency catheter ablation requires precise positioning of the ablation electrode. Fluoroscopically guided catheter manipulation has limitations, and there are risks of radiation exposure. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of guiding catheter ablation within the right atrium with catheter-based intracardiac echocardiography. METHODS AND RESULTS A 10F, 1...

Pulmonary vein isolation with catheter ablation is an effective treatment in patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation refractory or intolerant to antiarrhythmic medications. The cryoballoon catheter was recently approved for this procedure. In this paper, the basics of cryothermal energy ablation are reviewed including its ability of creating homogenous lesion formation, minimal destructio...

BACKGROUND Complications concerning the coronary arteries that are directly related to radiofrequency catheter ablation procedures have not been reported in children. Coronary artery lesions, however, have been demonstrated after the endocardial application of radiofrequency current in young animals. METHODS AND RESULTS Two boys with Ebstein's anomaly of the tricuspid valve developed clinical...

Phrenic nerve injury (PNI) is a rare complication of catheter ablation therapy, most commonly observed in cryoablation of the right side pulmonary veins. We present a case of PNI after radiofrequency catheter ablation that developed acute dyspnea 24 hours after the intervention. Dyspnea is the main symptom of PNI, so the diagnosis should always be suspected if it appears after any type of cathe...

Background: PR interval prolongation has recently been shown to associate with advanced left atrial remodeling and atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after catheter ablation. While different genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have implicated 13 loci to associate with the PR interval as an AF endophenotype their subsequent associations with AF remodeling and response to catheter ablation ar...

Because of its high success rate and low morbidity, radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation has become first line treatment for many arrhythmias. In this procedure, one or more electrode catheters are advanced percutaneously through the vasculature to contact cardiac tissues. A diagnostic study is performed to define the arrhythmia mechanism, and subsequently an ablation catheter is positioned ad...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW The optimal treatments for atrial fibrillation have long been sought among rhythm control and rate control strategies. Unfortunately, rhythm control strategies with antiarrhythmic drugs have proven to be a disappointment. Catheter ablation techniques, however, have been rapidly advancing and have the potential to offer a permanent cure. Rhythm control with catheter ablation ma...

  Background: Catheter ablation is widely used for treatment of atrial fibrillation. The use of fluoroscopic and non-fluoroscopic mapping systems in catheter ablation is common. This study conducted to investigate the safety and effectiveness of Navx non-fluoroscopic mapping system.   Methods : In this study, the appropriate electronic databases including Cochrane Library and Ovid Medline searc...

Background Arrhythmia recurrence following acutely successful catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with recovery of conduction across previously complete circumferential or left atrial (LA) linear lesions. Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be able to provide a non-invasive means to identify gaps in ablation lesions. This study assesse...