CACAF2 Study: Catheter Ablation for Cure of Atrial Fibrillation

Exclusion Criteria

• •Permanent atrial fibrillation
• •Patients who had tried \>1 antiarrhythmic drug (Class I or Class III).
• •AF was the sole rhythm for \>6 months before the enrollment.
• •Previous ablation for AF.
• •AF is deemed secondary to a transient or correctable abnormality including electrolyte imbalance, trauma, recent surgery, infection, toxic ingestion, and endocrinopathy.
• •Patients who have fibrillation episodes triggered by another uniform arrhythmia (eg, atrial flutter or atrial tachycardia).
• •Patients with intra-atrial thrombus, tumor, or another abnormality that precludes catheter introduction.
• •Patients with Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome.
• •Patients awaiting cardiac transplantation.
• •Congestive heart failure (CHF) New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II-III-IV or ejection fraction (EF) \<40%.
• •Patients with unstable angina or acute myocardial infarction within 3 months.
• •Patients with cardiac revascularization or other cardiac surgery within 6 months.
• •Patients with heart disease in which corrective surgery is anticipated.
• •Patients in whom appropriate vascular access is precluded.
• •Pregnant women.
• •A separate requirement for antiarrhythmic drug treatment, which will require an antiarrhythmic drug not previously tried for AF suppression.
• •Prior atrial surgery.
• •Contraindication to treatment with warfarin or other bleeding diathesis.
• •Renal failure requiring dialysis.
• •Hepatic failure.
• •Participant in investigational clinical or device trial.
• •Unwilling or unable to give informed consent.
• •Inaccessible for follow-up.
• •Psychological problem that might limit compliance.
• •Active abuse of alcohol or other drugs which may be causative of AF.
• •An implanted device (pacemaker or cardioverter-defibrillator).
• •Left atrial diameter (anteroposterior) \>50 mm.