AHA: Mixed Results for Substrate Ablation for Afib

Medpagetoday: Nov 20, 2013

DALLAS — Ablating the atrial chamber substrate for prevention of paroxysmalatrial fibrillation appears to be noninferior to the standard method of ablating suspected triggers in the pulmonary veins, researchers reported here.

Of 58 patients treated with circumferential pulmonary vein ablation, 40, or 69%, achieved freedom from paroxysmal bouts of atrial fibrillation at 12 months compared with 37 out of 55 (69%) of patients who underwent high-frequency source ablation (P=0.04 for nonnferiority), said Felipe Atienza, MD, PhD, senior electrophysiologist at Hospital Gregorio Marañón in Madrid. Read More