Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 May;30(9):1105-12.
doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehp063. Epub 2009 Mar 8.

Long-term follow-up of persistent atrial fibrillation ablation using termination as a procedural endpoint

Mark D O'Neill  1 , Matthew Wright, Sébastien Knecht, Pierre Jaïs, Mélèze Hocini, Yoshihide Takahashi, Anders Jönsson, Frédéric Sacher, Seiichiro Matsuo, Kang Teng Lim, Leonardo Arantes, Nicolas Derval, Nicholas Lellouche, Isabelle Nault, Pierre Bordachar, Jacques Clémenty, Michel Haïssaguerre
Affiliations

Long-term follow-up of persistent atrial fibrillation ablation using termination as a procedural endpoint

Mark D O'Neill et al. Eur Heart J. 2009 May.

Abstract

Aims: Catheter ablation of long-lasting persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) has been performed with varying results using a combination of different techniques. Whether arrhythmia termination during ablation is associated with an improved clinical outcome is controversial.

Methods and results: In this prospective study, 153 consecutive patients (56 +/- 10 years) underwent catheter ablation of persistent AF (25 +/- 33 months) using a stepwise approach with the desired procedural endpoint being AF termination. Repeat ablation was performed for patients with recurrent AF or atrial tachycardia (AT) after a 1 month blanking period. A minimum follow-up of 12 months with repeated Holter monitoring was performed. Atrial fibrillation was terminated in 130 patients (85%). There was a lower incidence of AF in those patients in whom AF was terminated during the index procedure compared with those who had not (5 vs. 39% P < 0.0001, mean follow-up 32 +/- 11 months). Seventy-nine patients underwent repeat procedures: 64/130 in the termination group (6 AF, 58 AT) and 15 in the non-termination group (9 AF, 7 AT). After repeat ablation, sinus rhythm was maintained in 95% in whom AF was terminated compared with 52% in those in whom AF could not be terminated.

Conclusion: Procedural termination of long-lasting AF by catheter ablation alone is associated with an improved outcome.

PubMed Disclaimer