Epicardial catheter ablation for ventricular tachycardia on uninterrupted warfarin: A safe approach for those with a strong indication for peri-procedural anticoagulation?

摘要

Background: Current guidelines for epicardial catheter ablation for ventricular tachycardia (VT) advocate that epicardial access is avoided in anticoagulated patients and should be performed prior to heparinisation. Recent studies have shown that epicardial access may be safe in heparinised patients. However, no data exist for patients on oral anticoagulants. We investigated the safety of obtaining epicardial access on uninterrupted warfarin.