The first experience of using robotic magnetic navigation for interventional treatment of post-incisional atrial flutter in patients with congenital heart defects after surgical correction: case series

Post-incisional heart rhythm disturbances are one of the most frequent complications after open cardiac surgery. Lession in the atrial myocardium create conditions for slowing impulse conduction, formation and circulation of reentry. Case series included 8 patients after correction of complex congenital heart disease (CHD) with post-incisional atrial flutter (AF), despite treatment with antiarrhythmic drugs. All patients underwent interventional AF treatment using the robotic magnetic navigation (RMN) system. Perioperative complications, duration of surgery, time of fluoroscopy and efficacy (free of atrial tachyarrhythmias 3 months after the ablation procedure) of treatment were assessed during a follow-up period of 12 months. The article presents a series of clinical cases of RMN application for the treatment of post-incisional AF in patients with CHD after open cardiac surgery. The first Russian experience of using RMN for the treatment of post-incisional AF in patients with CHD after open cardiac surgery demonstrated safety and high efficiency both in the early and long-term follow-up periods. More experience and multicenter studies in a large cohort of patients are needed to determine the role of RMN as the first line of therapy for performing catheter ablation in this category of patients.