Typical Atrial Flutter (AFLT) is a common cardiac arrhythmia. Studies have demonstrated the safety and superiority of ablation procedure over antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) therapy. Long term freedom from typical AFLT has been consistently shown after successful ablation, but up to 30% of these patients can experience new onset of a different arrhythmia i.e., Atrial Fibrillation (AF). AF results from triggers in the back of the left upper chamber in the heart (left atrium - LA). These triggers typically arise from in and around the opening of the 4 veins (pulmonary veins - PVs) that bring blood from the lungs into the heart. The highest incidence of AF in patients undergoing ablation for typical AFLT was observed where the follow-up duration exceeded a year after the AFLT ablation. This would suggest that AF development in patients undergoing typical AFLT ablation is progressive and inevitable.
