Cardiac arrhythmia management has evolved as one of the most rapidly expanding fields within medicine. The development of catheter ablation has transformed the treatment of many arrhythmias, providing highly effective treatment options for the majority of tachyarrhythmias. There is also consid- erable research and development of more effective anti-arrhythmic and anti- coagulant drugs.
New high-definition mapping technologies and sources of energy have been developed and are discussed widely in this text. Despite these huge tech- nical advances, it is important to understand the basic principles of arrhyth- mia mechanisms in order to help make a diagnosis and chose an effective treatment strategy.