Rationale and Design of FIRE AND ICE: A Multicenter Randomized Trial Comparing Efficacy and Safety of Pulmonary Vein Isolation Using a Cryoballoon versus Radiofrequency Ablation with 3D-Reconstruction

摘要

Rationale and Design of Fire and Ice. Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia imposing substantial morbidity and mortality. Catheter-based pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) using radiofrequency current (RFC) has become a standard treatment for drug-resistant and symptomatic paroxysmal AF (PAF). In recent years, the cryoballoon-based technique is increasingly used as a promising alternative with a short learning curve.