Abstract
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, with a prevalence of between 2% and 4% in the general population over 60 years old and an increasing incidence with age [1]. Its presence causes a rise in morbidity and mortality rates due to the increase of embolic risk and loss of atrial function with a consequent decrease in cardiac performance. Very often AF is associated with disabling symptoms-such as palpitations, exercise intolerance, and fatigue-that can influence the quality of life significantly. In patients affected by persistent or permanent AF with rapid ventricular response, the persistent high rate may produce a tachycardiomyopathy that can be reversible when sinus rhythm is restored or the ventricular rate is controlled. This arrhythmia is also a significant social financial burden. In the USA, AF causes more hospital admissions than any other arrhythmia, accounting for a nearly 1 million hospital days per year [2].
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© 2004 Springer-Verlag Italia
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Themistoclakis, S., Bonso, A., Rossillo, A., Raviele, A. (2004). Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation: What Are the Risks and Complications and How Do We Avoid Them?. In: Raviele, A. (eds) Cardiac Arrhythmias 2003. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-2137-2_26
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-2137-2_26
Publisher Name: Springer, Milano
Print ISBN: 978-88-470-2177-8
Online ISBN: 978-88-470-2137-2
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