Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation in patients with hardware in the heart: Septal closure devices, mechanical valves and more

Patients with mechanical "hardware" in the heart, such as those with mechanical cardiac valves or atrial septal closure devices, represent a population at high risk of developing AF. Catheter ablation of AF in these subjects might represent a challenge, due to the perceived higher risk of complications associated with the presence of intracardiac mechanical devices. Accordingly, such patients were excluded or poorly represented in major trials proving the benefit of catheter ablation for the rhythm-control of AF. However, recent evidence supports the concept that catheter ablation procedures might be equally effective in these patients, without a significant increase in the risk of procedural complications. This review will summarize the current state-of-the-art on catheter ablation of AF in patients with mechanical "hardware" in the heart.