Atrial fibrillation catheter ablation: an updated review of current guidelines and expert consensus documents

Although atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, its management remains complex and depends on several variables. Over the past decade, catheter ablation has been widely used as an effective method for rhythm control in AF patients. Therefore, AF ablation has been the focus of many studies in recent years. Given the complexity of AF management and catheter ablation, several guidelines have been developed to regulate and direct management of AF patients. The European Society of Cardiology (ESC), together with the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) and the European Association of Cardiothoracic Surgeons (EACTS), has been regulating the European guidelines, while the American Heart Association (AHA), along with the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), is publishing the US guidelines. Additionally, HRS, EHRA, and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, along with representatives from heart rhythm societies from different parts of the world, have developed an "expert consensus statement on catheter and surgical ablation of AF." This article reviews and compares the most recent guidelines and consensus document on AF catheter ablation.