The Results of Pacing Trials for the Prevention and Termination of Atrial Tachyarrhythmias: Is There Any Evidence of Therapeutic Breakthrough?

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is now recognized as the most prevalent sustained cardiac arrhythmia and it is associated with considerable mortality and morbidity. The demand for effective therapeutic strategies for AF has always been high and is anticipated to further increase. Anticoagulation and pharmacologic antiarrhythmic therapy or radiofrequency catheter ablation remain the mainstay of treatment for AF. Among the wide range of nonpharmacologic options which are presently being investigated, only ablation in or around the pulmonary veins and the surgical maze procedure have been shown to accomplish the aim of the curative treatment of the arrhythmia.