Radiofrequency ablation of the pulmonary veins: can it stop atrial fibrillation at its source?

Cleve Clin J Med · 2001

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Abstract

Recent work from France indicates that many cases of atrial fibrillation arise from foci of rapidly firing cells, most of which are located not within the atria but within the pulmonary veins. Armed with this new knowledge, we are pursuing strategies of permanently preventing atrial fibrillation by destroying these foci using radiofrequency ablation.