Commentary from the Section Editor

DOI: 10.19102/icrm.2011.020509

Brian Olshansky, MD

Editor-in-Chief

In this issue of the journal, published in the Innovative Collections section, Dr. Fontenla and colleagues have described an innovative approach to an ablation procedure: electrical isolation versus ablation cure. For this particular patient, it was apparently difficult to ablate the reentrant circuit. It proved easier to wall the circuit off.

While rarely considered the optimal approach, in this particular instance isolation of the tachycardia eliminated problems associated with the arrhythmia. Occasionally, this methodology may be employed in an attempt to ameliorate an otherwise difficult problem. It remains somewhat uncertain why the tachycardia proved difficult to ablate, but was isolated rather easily. This is a constant reminder that in ablation procedures, novel approaches may be necessary to improve the overall outcome.

Brian Olshansky, MD
E-mail: brian-olshansky@uiowa.edu
Professor of Medicine
Cardiac Electrophysiology
University of Iowa Hospitals
Iowa City, Iowa