Update on Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia that can be treated with antiarrhythmic drugs and electrical cardioversion. New therapies such as the automatic implantable atrial defibrillator, multisite atrial pacing, and catheter ablation are being studied extensively. Ablation for AF is in its infancy. There are different mechanisms of AF, and, therefore, there can be no single approach to therapy. One question is whether radiofrequency electricity (RF) is the best source of energy for catheter ablation for AF. RF results have been disappointing for the treatment of ventricular tachycardia, presumably because of the small size of the lesions that are produced. Other sources of energy such as microwave energy, which produces larger and deeper lesions, may be necessary in the future. RF might be modified to produce a larger lesion, perhaps by cooling the ablating electrode so that neighboring myocardium does not become charred and a higher dose of electricity can be delivered with greater penetration into deeper layers of myocardium. These efforts at producing larger lesions must be tempered by close attention to maintaining a high level of safety. AF usually is not immediately life threatening, thus a risky therapy will not be acceptable. The procedure should not expose the patient to excessive procedural time or an excessive radiation dose. From laboratory and clinical evidence, it is clear that a catheter ablation cure for some forms of AF will become available in the future, as long as our understanding of the mechanisms of AF continues to increase and ablative techniques continue to evolve.