Routine atrial fibrillation ablation in France. The French electra survey

Goal To evaluate routine French atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation procedure. Method A multiple choice questionnaire was e-mailed to 120 French EP physicians in November 2016. Results Ninety-five answers were obtained (80%). Sixty-five percent work in a public center, 35% in a private center. Seventy-six percent ablated AF since 5 years or more. Sixty-five percent worked in center who performed > 300 ablations/year. Sixty-six percent ablate > 50% of persistent AF. Ninety-six percent systematically perform a consultation before ablation. To perform transeptal puncture, 89% use a non-steerable sheath, 50% do it with transoesophageal echocardiography, 41% perform esophageal thermal monitoring. In persistant AF, first line ablation strategy is circumferential isolation of pulmonary veins for 74%, while 12% ad defragmentation, 4% ad lines, 32% ad lines and defragmentation. Ten percent perform defragmentation only. The remaining physicians did not have standardised attitude concerning radiofrequency (RF) ablation for persistent AF. When VKA is prescribed, 85% don’t stop the treatment before the procedure. General anaesthesia is performed systematically by 57% (96% in private structure) and never by 29% of physicians. Cryoablation for paroxysmal AF is performed by 58% of physicians. Conclusion Persistent RF ablation strategy is not fully standardised. Cryoablation is widely used for Paroxysmal AF. General anesthesia is more available in private centers.