EDITORIAL Electrophysiology: it is time to simplify!

This editorial refers to ‘A randomized-controlled trial comparing conventional with minimal catheter approaches for the mapping and ablation of regular supra-ventricular tachycardias ’ by R. Liew et al., on page 1057 For many years, electrophysiology has been regarded as a kind of mysterious knowledge. The only people able to understand were its Shamans: the electrophysiologists. To become a shaman, novices tread a tough path of initiation, full of difficulties and anguish. The early practitioners of electrophysiology had to explore a new world, with limited tools. Over time, they managed to explain most of the underlying mechanisms of tachycardias, using many catheters, and performing complex pacing manoeuvres to prove the origin or characteristics of an arrhythmia.1 – 3 Thanks to this long heritage, modern electrophysiologists know which arrhythmias they may encounter and how to treat them