Low incidence of permanent complications during catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation using open-irrigated catheters: a multicentre registry.

Aims: Despite catheter ablation (CA) has become an accepted treatment option for symptomatic, drug-resistant atrial fibrillation (AF), the safety of this procedure continues to be cause for concern. The aim of the present study was to assess the incidence of complications with permanent sequelae of CA for AF using open-irrigated catheters in a contemporary, unselected population of consecutive patients.

Methods And Results: From 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2011, data from 2167 consecutive patients who underwent CA for AF using an open-irrigated catheter in 29 Italian centres were collected.

One-year follow-up of a series of 100 patients treated for lumbar spinal canal stenosis by means of HeliFix interspinous process decompression device.

Purpose: New interspinous process decompression devices (IPDs) provide an alternative to conservative treatment and decompressive surgery for patients with neurogenic intermittent claudication (NIC) due to degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS). HeliFix is a minimally invasive IPD that can be implanted percutaneously. This is a preliminary evaluation of safety and effectiveness of this IPD up to 12 months after implantation.