Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common arrhythmia. In Europe, there are more than 3.000.000 patients suffering from atrial fibrillation. The reason why Atrial fibrillation increases the risk of death is that it increases the incidence of thrombotic events and heart failure. One of the goals of treatment is to avoid the negative outcome resulting from arrhythmia and to try to maintain the normal sinus rhythm. In order to achieve such a result, there are two strategies: 1.long-term anti-arrhythmic drugs (AAD); 2. atrial fibrillation catheter ablation.

1. AAD treatment is to try to block or regulate the electrical activities of the heart so as to avoid the occurrence and continuation of arrhythmia. This method is effective for 60% patients, and it requires a long-term treatment process. While there are many side effects of drug therapy, some drugs are prohibited to part of patients. Though, most drugs are feasible. When the effect of using one kind of drugs, patients can consider a variety of drugs to be used in combination.

2. The Catheter ablation can help part of patients with atrial fibrillation obtain a stable sinus rhythm. It has been confirmed that the origins of most atrial fibrillation incidences are located around the left atrial pulmonary vein region. Therefore, the efficiency of circumferential pulmonary vein freezing ablation to cure atrial fibrillation is about 70%. The main complications of this technique are cardiac tamponade (1%), thrombosis (0.5%) or AV fistula(1/1000). Patients after successful treatments do not need to continue taking anti-arrhythmic drugs, for the atrial fibrillation has been cure. It is estimated that there are 10,000 units atrial fibrillation radiofrequency ablation each year in Europe.

Which treatment method to be chosen must be based on many considerations: the type of patient, the patient's willing as well as operational experience in catheter technology and so on.

Medication or ablation to cure atrial fibrillation? edited by Heart Problems, all rights reserved, Do not copy or revise without our permission.