Efficacy of DE-MRI-Guided Fibrosis Ablation vs. Conventional Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation: The DECAAF II Study

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a condition of the heart that consists of disorganized electrical activity involving the entire atria (upper chambers) of the heart. AF is more prevalent with advancing age and is associated with structural heart disease including high blood pressure, systolic and diastolic ventricular dysfunction (dysfunction of the lower heart chambers), and disease of the heart valves. It represents a significant public health problem in the general population around the world. People with AF are more likely to have a stroke, a diminished quality of life, and a greater chance of heart failure or other conditions of the heart. Research has shown that people with AF have scarring or some amount of damaged tissue in their heart’s upper chamber. This scarred tissue can determine whether AF continues or whether it can be stopped. The more fibrosis, or scar tissue, that is present in the atrium, the more likely it is for the arrhythmia to continue. While conventional catheter ablation has been successful for rhythm control in AF, the success of this procedure is significantly affected by the amount of scar tissue at the time of catheter ablation. Some doctors target specific areas of the fibrotic or scarred tissue in addition to the regular ablation procedure. This type of ablation uses images of the fibrotic areas on your heart to help target the fibrosis, (scarred areas), during the ablation procedure.