Ablation Bests Drug Therapy for Refractory Paroxysmal AF

Major Finding: At 9 months, 66% of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation patients who received radiofrequency catheter ablation were free from treatment failure, compared with 16% of patients who received drug therapy.

Data Source: A randomized, multicenter trial of 167 patients with symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation that did not respond to drug treatment.

Disclosures: Funding and ablation catheters provided by Biosense Webster. Dr. Wilber and several of his coinvestigators reported financial ties to Biosense Webster and other device makers.