Acute Outcomes of Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation in Patients with Typical Atrioventricular Nodal Reentrant Tachycardia: A Single-Center Study

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the acute outcomes of radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFA) in patients diagnosed with typical atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT).

Methodology: This retrospective study was conducted at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Lahore, from January 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020. A total of 100 patients, each exhibiting at least one episode of sustained narrow QRS complex tachycardia, were included using a consecutive sampling technique. Following electrophysiological (EP) studies, RFA of the slow pathway was performed to successfully terminate the tachycardia.

Results: The study cohort comprised 78% females, with a mean symptom duration of 9.67 ± 4.8 years, and all patients reported palpitations as a primary symptom. The mean fluoroscopy time was 15.7 ± 3.2 minutes, and the mean procedure time was 1.52 ± 0.22 hours. Successful non-inducibility of typical AVNRT was achieved in 99% of patients. Slow pathway (SP) elimination was achieved in 46% of cases, while SP modification was noted in 53%, with 8% of these cases showing one AV node echo beat post-ablation. Only one patient (1%) developed a permanent atrioventricular (AV) block.

Conclusion: Radiofrequency catheter ablation is a highly effective and safe treatment for patients with typical AVNRT who are refractory to drug therapy, demonstrating an acute success rate of 99% with minimal risk of complications in our center.