Definitive treatment for atrial flutter?

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Multiple Choice

Definitive treatment for atrial flutter?

The key idea is that the flutter in typical atrial flutter is caused by a single macro-reentrant circuit in the right atrium that can be definitively interrupted. Targeted radiofrequency catheter ablation of the cavotricuspid isthmus creates a bidirectional block in this critical pathway, stopping the reentrant loop and curing the arrhythmia in most patients—often with a single procedure and high long-term success. Rate-control medications can lessen symptoms by slowing the heart rate but don’t remove the circuit. Anticoagulation reduces stroke risk but doesn’t treat the rhythm. A pacemaker addresses bradycardia or conduction problems, not the flutter itself. So, ablating the reentrant circuit provides the definitive cure for typical atrial flutter.

The key idea is that the flutter in typical atrial flutter is caused by a single macro-reentrant circuit in the right atrium that can be definitively interrupted. Targeted radiofrequency catheter ablation of the cavotricuspid isthmus creates a bidirectional block in this critical pathway, stopping the reentrant loop and curing the arrhythmia in most patients—often with a single procedure and high long-term success. Rate-control medications can lessen symptoms by slowing the heart rate but don’t remove the circuit. Anticoagulation reduces stroke risk but doesn’t treat the rhythm. A pacemaker addresses bradycardia or conduction problems, not the flutter itself. So, ablating the reentrant circuit provides the definitive cure for typical atrial flutter.

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