Single-center experience of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation using multi-electrode mapping and ablation
Mehmood Zeb1, Arthur Yue, Paul Andrew Scott
1Wessex Cardiothoracic Unit, Department Cardiology, Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD. mehmoodzeb@hotmail.com
Purpose:
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an established therapy for the treatment of paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). Many techniques have been reported to achieve RFA. We report a single-center experience of RFA using three multi-electrode catheters.
Methods:
We collected data of the patients who had RFA for AF using custom-designed multi-electrode mapping and ablation catheters between May 2007 and November 2009 at this center.
Results:
A total of 105 patients aged 56 ± 9.6 years underwent RFA using three multi-electrode catheters. Eighty-seven patients were new and 18 patients had re-do AF ablation using the multi-electrode mapping and ablation catheters. In the new patients, the mean procedure duration was 141 ± 38 minutes and fluoroscopy time was 38 ± 4 minutes. The mean duration of follow-up was 15.8 ± 6.4 months. Symptomatic improvement was achieved in 75 patients (86%), 48 patients (55%) remained in sinus rhythm (SR) after the first procedure, while 7 (8%) had multiple procedures and remained in SR without antiarrhythmic drugs (AAD). Fourteen patients (16%) required AAD following a single procedure and 1 patient (1.1%) after multiple procedures to remain in SR. Seven patients (8%) had reduced burden of symptoms. No improvement occurred in 12 patients (13.7%). In the 18 re-do patients, 15 (83.3%) had symptom improvement. Four patients (22.2%) remained in SR after a single procedure and 4 patients (22.2%) required multiple procedures to remain in SR without AAD. One patient (5.5%) remained in SR on AAD following a single procedure and 1 patient (5.5%) remained in SR on AAD following multiple procedures. Five patients (27%) had reduced burden of symptoms and 3 patients (16.6%) had no improvement.
Conclusion:
PVI using multi-electrode mapping and ablation catheters is an effective treatment of paroxysmal and persistent AF with a complication rate equivalent to published data.
