ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the application and effectiveness of one-staged or two-staged hybrid minimally invasive surgical and transcatheter ablation for long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation(LSPAF).Methods From Jun 2015 to Dec 2017,a cohort of 56 patients[18 female,mean age of(59.1 ±6.9) years] with long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation underwent one-staged(30 cases) or two-staged(26 cases) hybrid minimally invasive surgical and transcatheter ablation.Mean AF duration was(5.9 ± 3.0) years.Mean left atrial diameter was(45.4 ± 4.2) mm.Mean CHA2DS2-VASc score was 2.3 ± 1.2.Fourteen cases had a history of prior catheter ablation.All patients underwent continuous 24-hour or 48-hour holter monitoring at 3 months,6 months,1 year and yearly thereafter.Results All patients successfully underwent one-staged or two-staged hybrid minimally invasive surgical and transcatheter ablation.During ablation,LSPAF was terminated in 80.0％ (24/30) with one-staged hybrid ablation and 84.6％ (22/26) with two-staged hybrid ablation.At a mean follow-up of(20.3 ± 8.2) months,89.3％ (50/56) patients maintained sinus rhythm.Among them,86.7％ (26/30) patients with one-staged hybrid ablation maintained sinus rhythm,and 92.3％ (50/56) patients with two-staged hybrid ablation maintained sinus rhythm.Six patients with recurrent AF continued to receive warfarin and amiodarone drug therapy.No death or cerebrovascular events occurred.No patient required permanent pacemaker implantation.Conclusion One-staged or two-staged hybrid minimally invasive surgical and transcatheter ablation could be safely and effectively applied to the treatment of LSPAF.The early and midterm outcomes were satisfactory.
ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the electrophysiological characteristics of atrial tachycardia (AT) originating from the side of the bundle of His, and to analyze the efficacy and safety of transcatheter radiofrequency ablation via the right side of the bundle of His and left noncoronary sinus of aorta for the treatment of AT. Methods A total of 12 patients with AT originating from the side the bundle of His, which was confirmed by conventional electrophysiological study and atrial activation patterns, were included in this study. The patient’s age ranged from 12 to 64 years old with a mean of (47.4±14.6) years. The mapping was carried out at the right side of the bundle of His and radiofrequency ablation was performed. When the ablation procedure failed, or the junction zone rhythm or atrioventricular block occurred, ablation via the left noncoronary sinus of aorta was employed. Results Atrial stimulation could repeatedly induce and terminate AT in all the 12 patients, the average cycle length was (327±76) ms. TA was terminated within 10 seconds after the start of ablation in 10 patients during their AT attacks. Ablation was unsuccessful in 2 patients. Ablation via the right side of His bundle was successfully accomplished in 2 patients, and the ablation via the left noncoronary sinus of aorta was successfully carried out in 8 patients. The average follow-up time was 1-6 years, and no recurrence of AT was observed. Conclusion Atrial tachycardia originating from the side of the bundle of His has certain electrophysiological characteristics, and transcatheter radiofrequency ablation is safe and effective for its treatment. Ablation via the left noncoronary sinus of aorta should be considered as a strategy of priority.
ABSTRACT
A 66-year-old man underwent percutaneous transcatheter ablation of the myocardium to treat chronic atrial fibrillation. Fifteen days after the procedure, he visited our hospital with a chief complaint of hematemesis. At that time, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy led to a diagnosis of esophageal ulcer. Oral food intake was suspended for approximately 1 month. Subsequently, 4 days after resumption of oral intake, he developed multiple cerebral infarcts. Moreover, massive hematemesis occurred, with resultant shock and cardiopulmonary arrest. At this point, a definitive diagnosis of left atrio-esophageal fistula resulting from the injury relating to the transcatheter ablation was made. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was carried out, followed by emergency surgery. The operation was performed via median sternotomy and was done under cardiac arrest using complete extracorporeal bypass, and the fistula in the posterior left atrial wall and the middle esophagus were directly sutured for closure. Unfortunately, 3 days after this open heart surgery, the patient died from low cardiac output syndrome and multiple organ failure. Although rare, this complication may be fatal when it develops then its prevention is important. Once atrio-esophageal fistula develops after percutaneous transcatheter ablation, immediate surgical intervention seems essential.
ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the effectiveness and safety of transcatheter radiofrequency ablation guided by a three-dimensional mapping system (Ensite or Carto) for the treatment of complex cardiac arrhythmias. Methods A cohort of 123 consecutive hospitalized inpatients during the period from February 2006 to December 2008 were selected for this study. These patients suffered from various arrhythmias, including paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (n=58). Persistent or permanent atrial fibrillation (n=10), atrial flutter (n=13), atrial tachycardia (n=12) and ventricular tachycardia or frequent ventricular premature beats (n=30). Transcatheter radiofrequency ablation for arrhythmias was performed under the guidance of an EnSite3 000/NavX or Array mapping system in 80 cases, and under the guidance of a CARTO mapping system in the remaining 43 cases. Results Successful ablation of arrhythmias was obtained by single operation in 106 cases(86.18%). Including 59 cases with atrial fibriUation,11 cases with atrial flutter, 10 cases with atrial tachycardia, and 26 cases with ventricular tachycardia or premature ventricular beat. Ablation procedure was carried out and was successful in 10 cases with a successful rate of 94.31%, including 5 cases with atrial fibrillation. 1 case with recurred atrial flutter, 1 case with recurrent atrial tachycardia, and 3 cases with ventricular tachycardia or premature ventricular beat. After operation, complications occurred in 6 cases, including cardiac tamponade in 4 cases, distal embolism of the left anterior descending coronary artery in 1 case, and pulmonary embolism in 1 case. Conclusion Three-dimensional mapping system can clearly and stereoscopically display the cardiac structures. Therefore, this technique is of great value in guiding the transcatheter radiofrequency ablation for complex arrhythmias, in improving the success rate of ablation and in increasing the safety of the procedure.