Ablation Therapy for Refractory Ventricular Arrhythmias

Abstract

Recurrent ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) are a leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In the last three decades, important advancements have occurred in the understanding of the mechanisms of recurrent VAs, their prognostic implications in different clinical contexts, and their treatment options. VAs occur in structurally normal hearts as well as in patients with underlying heart disease, but the latter group has a particularly high risk of recurrent VAs. Catheter ablation offers the possibility of cure for a substantial proportion of patients. Research has focused on identifying optimal targets for ablation, correlating the underlying structural abnormalities with the site of origin of VAs, and determining the optimal procedural approach. Ablation therapy can be life-saving in select patients with high burden of repetitive VAs or advanced heart failure syndromes. This article focuses on clinical aspects of catheter ablation of VAs, particularly the selection and clinical management of patients undergoing catheter ablation procedures and expected outcomes.

Keywords: catheter ablation; heart failure; ventricular fibrillation; ventricular premature contractions; ventricular tachycardia.