STAR AF 2 -- in ablation for persistent atrial fibrillation, 'less may be more'

(European Society of Cardiology) In patients with persistent atrial fibrillation -- an abnormal heart rhythm -- treating only the pulmonary veins with a procedure called ablation resulted in reasonable outcomes without the need to treat other areas of the heart, according to a new study presented as a Hot Line today at ESC Congress 2014.