Arrhythmias

Abstract

The success of the radiofrequency catheter ablation procedure for most types of supraventricular and ventricular tachycardia largely eliminated the role of surgical therapy of arrhythmias. However, there remains a subset of arrhythmia patients in whom urgent surgical treatments are required. In this review we mention recent developments of the urgent surgical treatment for arrhythmias. In cases with complete atrioventricular (AV) block and ventricular fibrillation which associated with sudden death, temporary cardiac pacing and cardiac defibrillation using direct current (DC) cardioversion must be immediately induced and followed by implantation of permanent cardiac pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), if necessary. In addition to usual cardiac pacing therapy, novel pacing therapy has been developed recently for the patients with symptomatic heart failure. Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) using biventricular pacing is an emerging therapy for improvement of cardiac function in patients with heart failure in association with intraventricular conduction delay. To prevent the sudden death in patients with heart failure, biventricular pacing combined with ICD are also implanted and its efficacy are reported. With the exception of the pacing therapy, curative surgical treatments are limited in drug-refractory atrial fibrillation and ventricular fibrillation/tachycardia after myocardial infarction requiring Dor's type operation. In any case surgical treatment must be performed promptly and suitably with lower invasive methods.