Catheter ablation as first-line therapy for patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common clinical problem that is associated with an impaired quality of life, thromboembolism, heart failure and death. Medical treatment of AF remains suboptimal and is associated with potentially serious side effects. The disappointing outcomes with medical therapy have spurred the age of catheter ablation of AF. In the last 10 years, catheter ablation of AF has evolved dramatically and has been shown to be superior to medical therapy in multiple studies. As a result, catheter ablation may be offered to the symptomatic patient as first-line therapy in lieu of antiarrhythmic medications, which have limited efficacy and are associated with significant toxicity.