Milan Experience of Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation

Until very recently, physicians considered atrial fibrillation (AF) as a benign arrhythmia which either did not require any treatment or could be managed adequately with some digoxin. During the last decade, however, epidemiological studies have shown that AF carries considerable morbidity and mortality. The concept that “AF begets AF” has further strengthened the need for a more aggressive approach towards prevention and treatment of AF. At the same time, the evolution of cardiac mapping technologies has allowed the development of new, nonsurgical strategies to cure this common arryhythmia.