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 FAQs Coping with A-Fib: A-Flutter

red-heart-negative 150 pix by 96 res“They want to do an A-Flutter-only ablation on me. Will that help me? I definitely have A-Flutter and possibly A-Fib as well.”

Probably not. We now know that, in general, A-Flutter originates in the right Atrium, and Atrial Fibrillation originates in the Left Atrium.

Even though a right atrium Flutter ablation is relatively simple and easier to do compared to an A-Fib ablation in the left atrium, a right atrium Flutter ablation does little for A-Fib. If you have both A-Fib and A-Flutter, but have a Flutter-only ablation of the right atrium, it’s estimated the success rate for curing A-Fib is only between 5% and 10%.

You’re probably wasting your time and undergoing needless risk to do an A-Flutter-only ablation when you also have A-Fib. Some A-Flutter may originate in the left atrium, or the A-Flutter may mask A-Fib which may appear later after a successful A-Flutter ablation. As many as half of all patients ablated for A-Flutter may later develop A-Fib.

If someone wants to schedule you for a right atrium Flutter-only ablation and you also have or suspect you have A-Fib as well, you definitely need a second opinion. As long as you’ve gone to the trouble of scheduling a hospital procedure for A-Flutter and the EP will be inside your heart already, most EPs will want to do a left atrium A-Fib ablation at the same time as your Flutter ablation.
Resources for this article
Takahashi Y et al. “How to interpret and identify pulmonary vein recordings with the Lasso catheter.” Heart Rhythm 2006;3:748-750. doi.org/10.1016/j.hrthm.2006.01.017

Philippon, F., et al. The Risk of Atrial Fibrillation Following Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation of Atrial Flutter. Circulation. 1995;92:430-435. August 1, 1995. http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/92/3/430. doi.org/10.1161/01.CIR.92.3.430

Back to FAQs: Coping with Your A-Fib
Last updated: Monday, June 18, 2018

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