5. Limitations:
A blanking period of 90 days is utilized for post-AAFL ablation, similar
to AF ablation, where the arrhythmia recurrences within the period are
disregarded. This blanking interval is debatable for a reentrant
arrhythmia, but the period was chosen for consistency with AF studies.
Any interventions in this period, such as repeat procedures and AV-nodal
ablation, are not considered.
Besides symptom-based recording, routine Holter monitoring at periodic
intervals and snapshot ECGs were used as markers of recurrence. However,
continuous recording with a loop recorder or implanted device such as a
pacemaker may have detected a higher recurrence rate.
6. Conclusions:
The one-year RFS rate of 57.2% following AAFL ablation, even though
83.7% achieved acute termination during the procedure, signifies the
extent of the substrate abnormalities.
Acknowledgments: None