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A randomized, controlled trial of circumferential pulmonary-vein ablation for the treatment of chronic atrial fibrillation is conducted. Sinus rhythm can be maintained long term in the majority of patients with chronic atrial fibrillation by means of circumferential pulmonary-vein ablation independently of the effects of antiarrhythmic-drug therapy, cardioversion, or both and the maintenance is associated with a significant decrease in both the severity of symptoms and the left atrial diameter.

Electrocardiographic artifact can mimic a serious heart arrhythmia called ventricular tachycardia. This artifact occurs when a person is having an ECG and the test mistakenly shows that the patient is having an arrhythmia. In reality, these artifacts are usually caused by the patient moving or by a poor contact between the skin and the electrode. Researchers describe 12 cases of patients who received aggressive treatment for suspected ventricular tachycardia when all they had was an electrocardiographic artifact. Some even received a pacemaker or an implantable defibrillator. Even several cardiologists missed the true cause of the arrhythmia.