Arrhythmia catheter ablation: new prospects

catheter ablation has replaced DC shock fulguration and, increasingly, drug therapy in the management of reentrant tachycardia. The technique is highly effec-tive in the treatment of supraventricular arrhythmias related to accessory pathways or atrioventricular node reentry1'1. It can be used successfully and safely to ablate atrial tachycardia and flutter and a curative approach to atrial fibrillation using radiofrequency ablation has been described. Recent reports have also established its efficacy in patients with ventricular tachycardia'2"31, either idiopathic or in the setting of coronary artery disease, even with multiple morphologies. The technique is not restricted to specific patients. It may be used in the young as well as the elderly. In the latter, as age is one of the most important factors in th