Ablation for atrial fibrillation: Termination of atrial fibrillation is not the end point

Permanent pulmonary vein isolation constitutes the main procedural goal of current approaches to atrial fibrillation (AF) catheter ablation, with established effectiveness as a stand-alone procedure in most patients with paroxysmal AF. In patients with AF of longer duration, however, the definition of the optimal procedural end point is still controversial. Based on analysis of data from 16 studies that have assessed the value of AF termination in predicting long-term procedural success, it is concluded that AF termination clearly represents an unreliable procedural end point during ablation of nonparoxysmal AF.