Catheter Ablation in Patients With Heart Failure: Current Data from Recently Published Randomized Trials

Atrial fibrillation in patients with heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction is common and is associated with an increased risk of mortality, hospitalization and all-cause death. Rhythm control via medical treatment in these patients is restricted to use of amiodarone as the only suitable antiarrhythmic drug with the least proarrhythmic effect compared to other antiarrhythmic drugs for this population of patients. Over the last years there is a growing evidence that catheter ablation is beneficial in patients with heart failure since randomized clinical trials with hard endpoints have already been published. However, there are still unanswered questions about the patient categories that could benefit from the ablation procedures and the optimal ablation strategies in these patients. These issues are herein reviewed. Rhythmos 2018;13(4):75-77