although the cumulative AF burden was not significantly different between the groups. Similar encouraging information has emerged from two smaller randomized studies[12,13].
In keeping with the results of the recently published RAAFT-2 trial
[12]our data showed that among patients with frequent episodes of paroxysmal AF both RFA and AAD therapy were associated with sustained
improvement in quality of life. These findings indicate that in highly
symptomatic patients with paroxysmal AF the antiarrhythmic action of
RFA and AAD therapy has greater impact on the quality of life than
their potential adverse effects. On the other hand, since there were no
significant differences between the groups at any time point it seems
to be possible to control or eliminate arrhythmia symptoms in a substantial number of patients by early medical intervention.