Comparison of Catheter Ablation and Pacemaker Implantation for Tachycardia-Bradycardia Syndrome
Key Findings:
A clinical trial compared the outcomes of catheter ablation (CA) and permanent pacemaker (PM) implantation as initial treatments for patients with tachycardia-bradycardia syndrome (TBS) and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF).
- The study found that the rates of unexpected emergency room visits or hospitalizations due to cardiovascular causes were not significantly different between the CA and PM groups after 2 years.
- However, the recurrence of AF was significantly lower in the CA group compared to the PM group.
- Catheter ablation showed similar safety and efficacy to pacemaker implantation and had a higher rate of maintaining normal heart rhythm.
Conclusion and Practical Implications:
Based on these findings, catheter ablation could be considered a preferable initial treatment option over pacemaker implantation for patients with paroxysmal AF and TBS, as it showed similar safety and efficacy with a higher sinus rhythm maintenance rate.
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