Prevalence of previous history of atrial fibrillation in patients referred for ablation of atrial flutter

International audience; Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) and atrial flutter (AFL) are frequently associated. The aim of the study was to look for the prevalence of previous history of AF in patients referred for radiofrequency ablation of AFL and the possible causes.Methods: 1061 patients, 819 males, 242 females, mean age 64±12 years were referred for ablation of recurrent or poorly-tolerated typical AFL. Clinical history, previous AF, data of echocardiography, was collected. Patients were followed from 3 months to 10 years (mean 3±3 years). Antiarrhythmic drugs (AAD) were stopped after ablation except in patients with previous AF before ablation.Results: 336 patients had presented at least one episode of sustained AF (>1 min) before AFL ablation (group I). The prevalence of AF in this population was high (32%). These patients were compared to remaining patients without know AF (group II). Ages of group I and II were similar (65±11 vs 64±12 years). They were more frequently females in group I (27%) than in group II (24%) (p