What is radiofrequency ablation therapy for tachyarrhythmias?

  Rapid arrhythmias such as paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, pre-excitation syndrome, atrial tachycardia, atrial flutter, ventricular tachycardia, etc. are acute and critical conditions in emergency and cardiovascular medicine, and if not treated promptly, symptoms such as palpitations, chest tightness, shock, syncope, etc. may even be life-threatening. In the past, pharmacological treatment methods were often used in order to achieve arrhythmia control. However, because of the irregularity of the onset and termination of arrhythmia and its duration, it often fails to prevent and control the onset, and the long-term use of anti-arrhythmic drugs has a high side effect, which is dangerous and has a certain impact on the quality of life. Radiofrequency ablation for tachyarrhythmias is a minimally invasive technique developed rapidly in the 1990s, which can cure most tachyarrhythmias with a success rate of more than 95% and a small invasiveness rate.  In recent years, the real-time three-dimensional cardiac marker system has been promoted and applied in clinical practice, which has advanced cardiac electrophysiological examination and radiofrequency ablation treatment from the two-dimensional era to the three-dimensional era, making it possible to cure complex arrhythmias such as ventricular arrhythmias, atrial tachycardia, atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter in a real sense. The principle of this technology is similar to the positioning principle of “Global Positioning System (GPS)”, such as the three synchronous artificial satellites around the earth, which can accurately calculate the exact position of an airplane, while the CARTO system treats the heart as the earth and applies a magnetic field generator instead of satellites to accurately locate the catheter by sensing the magnetic induction coil in the special catheter. The CARTO system uses a magnetic field generator instead of a satellite to sense the magnetic induction coils in a dedicated catheter to accurately locate the catheter’s three-dimensional spatial position, record the catheter’s position and the electrogram in the snack, reconstruct the heart’s three-dimensional anatomy in real time, and overlay color to display relevant electrophysiological information. Current clinical applications of 3D cardiac landmark systems include Carto3 and Ensite Velocity.  These systems combine the 3D anatomical position and electrophysiological information, bringing great convenience to the diagnosis of complex arrhythmias, simplifying the calibration position during the treatment of arrhythmias by radiofrequency ablation, significantly reducing the exposure time, and making the success rate of complex arrhythmias ablation treatment jump to a higher level, which can be considered a “magic weapon” in the hands of complex arrhythmias radiofrequency ablation therapists. It can be regarded as a “powerful tool” in the hands of the complex arrhythmia RF ablation therapists.