Early recurrences are not always benign after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation: Do we need to reassess the need for a blanking period?

摘要

Radiofrequency catheter ablation has become a well-accepted management strategy for atrial fibrillation (AF). However, failure is not uncommon and only two-thirds or less of the patients are free of atrial fibrillation on long-term follow-up.1-2 It has been recognized that early recurrence of atrial tachyarrhythmia (ERAT), usually defined as arrhythmia recurrence in the first 3 months following ablation, may not always predict recurrent arrhythmia later, although retrospective studies have shown that ERAT is frequently associated with late recurrence (LR) of atrial tachyarrhythmia.3'4 In a study published in this issue of the Journal, Andrade et al. have addressed the question of the relationship of early and late recurrence in a prospectively designed study.5