Perspectives in ablation of arrhythmias in children and patients with congenital heart disease

Abstract

Although most arrhythmias in children have a benign outcome, recurrent arrhythmic events have a significant impact on quality of life. Electrophysiology studies with ablation have good short-term success and an acceptably low complication rate. The long-term outlook for this patient group is incompletely defined, however. Factors that require special consideration in children include the need to limit the size, depth and number of lesions, and the radiation exposure incurred during fluoroscopy-guided catheters manipulation. The use of cryoablation seems promising in limiting lesion size. Three-dimensional (3D) mapping systems clearly have been shown to reduce the radiation dose. In congenital heart disease, these advances in technology have helped to further our understanding of the mechanisms underlying arrhythmias. It is anticipated that earlier intervention and newer operative techniques will reduce the incidence of postoperative arrhythmias in the future. For those patients who still develop tachyarrythmias after cardiac surgery, the use of three-dimensional systems and other new technologies permits more efficient intervention in the electrophysiology laboratory.