Long‐term follow‐up after radiofrequency ablation of ectopic atrial tachycardia in young patients

AIM: Ectopic atrial tachycardia (EAT) is a common arrhythmia in children, adolescents, and young adults. Radiofrequency (RF) ablation is often considered the treatment of choice in this population. We sought to evaluate the long‐term follow‐up after RF ablation. METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively analyzed 36 young patients (age range 8‐29 years), with clinical signs and symptoms suspected for EAT who underwent an electrophysiological study in our center. We evaluated the safety and acute success rate of ablation and the long‐term follow‐up. Ectopic foci were more frequently localized in the right atrium along the crista terminalis (28%) and EAT was successfully terminated in 97% of patients. At median follow‐up (38 months), the recurrence rate was 20% with mostly recurrences expressed within 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: The study confirmed the safety and high acute success rate of EAT ablation in a population of children, adolescents, and young adults. Therefore, catheter ablation of EAT can be considered early in the course of treatment of these patients. The evidence of most recurrences within 6 months could be useful for advising patients on likely outcomes.