Common and Uncommon Atrial Flutter: What Are the Long-Term Results and Complications of Radiofrequency Ablation?

The availability of nonpharmacological therapeutic options has been a major breakthrough in the treatment of most cardiac arrhythmias. In the case of atrial flutter, radiofrequency catheter ablation has not only increased the therapeutic efficacy of this typically drug-resistant arrhythmia, but has enhanced our knowledge about its mechanisms. The identification of the mechanisms of atrial flutter has been a challenge for several decades [1], but only recently has our understanding about the existence of different types of atrial flutter with different mechanisms allowed the development of a curative approach to some types of atrial flutter.