Substrate Guided Ablation Therapy for Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF), often referred to as an 'irregular heartbeat', is the most common abnormal heart rhythm worldwide. AF may be intermittent (termed paroxysmal) or sustained (termed persistent).Catheter ablation is increasingly being used to manage individuals with AF, however in a significant proportion of cases AF recurs. Such rhythm control interventions are known to be less effective in individuals with persistent AF compared with those with paroxysmal AF. Analysis of heart tissue of individuals with AF show deposition of scar tissue within the heart muscle and this scar tissue promotes abnormal electrical activity that is involved in causing AF. The aim of the proposed study is to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of combining conventional pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) during catheter ablation for AF with adjunctive substrate ablation.