Abstract
Download the Issue @ a Glance podcast Subscribe to the EHJ Podcast ![Graphic][1] Arrhythmias are one of the most common symptoms of heart disease and are associated with considerable morbidity such as stroke,1 and mortality.2 Fortunately, with the introduction of ablation techniques and device therapy,3 their management has considerably improved over the last two decades and again more recently. Thus, the ‘ The year in cardiology 2015: arrhythmias and device therapy ’ by Gerhard Hindricks from the University of Leipzig in Germany4 is a timely review of the most important and clinically relevant recent developments in arrhythmias and invasive electrophysiology, and new devices in particular. Ventricular tachycardias are the most feared arrhythmias. Hugh Calkins from the John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, USA discusses in more depth ‘ The role of catheter ablation in the management of ventricular tachycardia ’.5 As he points out, the treatment strategy for ventricular tachycardia must be guided by patient symptoms, the risk of sudden death, and the underlying cardiac structure. Over the last decades, catheter ablation has emerged as the primary treatment of idiopathic ventricular tachycardia and has become an important management strategy in reducing ventricular tachycardia burden in patients with structural heart disease and an implanted device.6 The most common arrhythmia is probably atrial fibrillation (AF), which increases in frequency with age7 and particularly in those with hypertension8 and/or heart failure.9 Here too, catheter ablation has become a valuable treatment option.10,11 However, a significant number of patients have recurrences after catheter … [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif
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