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Single Physician Approach to Radiofrequency Catheter Ahlation in Patients with Supraventricuiar Tachycardia
Author(s) -
ROSENHECK SHIMON,
SHARON ZEHAVA,
WEISS ALEXEY,
AGMON YORAM,
WEISS AVRAHAM T.,
GOTSMAN MERVYN S.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
pacing and clinical electrophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.686
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1540-8159
pISSN - 0147-8389
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-8159.1993.tb01015.x
Subject(s) - medicine , tachycardia , cardiology , catheter , surgery
The minimal requirements for safe and effective performance of catheter ablation using radio/requency current are still unclear. To determine the feasibility and safety of single physician approach to catheter ablation of supraventricuiar tachycardia substrate using radio‐frequency energy, the results of the ablation procedure in 52 consecutive patients were evaluated. The procedures were performed during 1 year by the same physician and nurse. Twenty‐one patients had selective atrioventricuJar (AV) nodal pathway ablation and 31 patients had accessory AV pathway ablation. Forty‐eight patients (89%) had the diagnostic and the ablative procedure during the same electrophysiological test. In the 21 patients with AV nodal reentrant tachycardia, all had successful selective ablation of the fast (13) or the slow (8) pathways. Eight patients had recurrence of the clinical tachycardia and had a successful reablation. No patient developed complete AV block or other significant complications. The mean fluoroscopy time during the procedure was 16.0 ± 8.6 minutes. In the eight patients with Wolff‐Parkinson‐White syndrome, all concealed accessory pathways were successfully ablated with a mean fluoroscopy time of 30.0 ± 27.9 minutes. Two patients had recurrence of the conduction through the accessory pathway and had a successful reablation. Eighteen of 19 patients with a single overt accessory pathway had successful ablation, with a fluoroscopy time of 22.7 ± 20.6 minutes. Three patients had an early recurrence of the conduction through the accessory pathway, reablation was successful in two of them. Ten accessory pathways were ablated in four patients with multiple pathways during nine procedures. Only two patients developed minor peripheral vascular complications. Radiofrequency ablation of supraventricular tachycardia substrates may be performed effectively and safely by a small team just of one physician and one nurse.