Foreword

Article Outline

• Copyright

Atrial fibrillation is the single most important arrhythmia that is seen in clinical practice; it is most frequent in those who are ≥ 60 years old. The role of anticoagulation in reducing the incidence of strokes from atrial thrombi is well established by seven randomized trials. Rhythm control versus rate control is still being evaluated.

Maintenance of long-term sinus rhythm with pharmacological therapy is frequently unsuccessful. A surgical option, for example, MAZE, has a better success rate. More recently, catheter ablation techniques have come to the forefront with short-term high success rates.

In this issue of the Journal, Drs. Riley and Marrouche describe the various techniques of catheter ablation including the use of intracardiac echocardiography, patient selection for these procedures, and the rates of complications and of success. There are 102 references.

The Editorial Board and I are grateful to these authors for a very useful and important contribution.