Development of catheter ablation of supraventricular tachycardias with special consideration of contributions from German engineers and electrophysiologists

Abstract

The development and clinical implementation of catheter ablation of supraventricular tachycardia is one of the outstanding achievements of modern cardiovascular treatment. Over a period of less than 40years, acurative and safe treatment strategy for almost all forms of atrial arrhythmias has been developed and implemented. German electrophysiologists and engineers have made asignificant contribution to this truly outstanding success story in modern medicine. Their contributions should be appropriately acknowledged because without them, the development of ablation technology and its worldwide dissemination would not have been possible. Both the technological contributions and the medical-electrophysiological contributions were at the absolute forefront of worldwide developments and have made asignificant contribution to the fact that today more than 500,000 patients with symptomatic and/or threatening cardiac arrhythmias can be successfully treated every year by use of catheter ablation. We would like to thank them all for their achievements.