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(Circulation. 2005;111:1093.)
© 2005 American Heart Association, Inc.

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An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

	WORLDWIDE SURVEY ON THE METHODS, EFFICACY, AND SAFETY OF CATHETER ABLATION FOR HUMAN ATRIAL FIBRILLATION, by Cappato et al.

 
Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation is evolving rapidly. This survey from 181 responding centers provides an indication of the dramatic growth of the procedure between the mid-1990s, when fewer than 100 patients were treated, and 2002, when >5000 patients received ablation annually at these centers alone. Methods, criteria for patient selection, and outcomes varied among centers. A beneficial effect on symptoms was reported for more than half of patients without antiarrhythmic drug therapy, and more received benefit with continued drug therapy. Approximately one quarter of patients required two procedures. Major complications, including cardiac tamponade and stroke, occurred in 6%. Although these data are subject to the reporting bias inherent in a survey, they provide a useful look at the outcomes and problems with this procedure during the initial period of its rapid growth. See p 1100.

	COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF EPLERENONE COMPARED WITH PLACEBO IN PATIENTS WITH MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION COMPLICATED BY LEFT VENTRICULAR DYSFUNCTION AND HEART FAILURE, by Weintraub et al.

 
As costs of health care increase and expensive new therapies are shown to have benefit, it is important to question whether the intervention is economically attractive from a societal perspective. The Eplerenone Post–Acute Myocardial Infarction Heart Failure Efficacy and Survival Study (EPHESUS) demonstrated that selective aldosterone blockade with eplerenone reduced mortality and morbidity in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and heart failure after an acute myocardial infarction. Over 16 months, eplerenone reduced the risk of death by 17% and the risk of death from cardiovascular causes or hospitalization for cardiovascular events by 13%. The risk of serious hyperkalemia increased. Weintraub and colleagues have used the EPHESUS trial results in an economic analysis . . . [Full Text of this Article]