Current integrated approaches for the treatment of focal atrial tachycardia

Focal atrial tachyardia constitutes more than 10% of the supraventricular tachycardias and it could be responsible for the initiation of other atrial arrhythmias, like atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter. Frequently, the focal atrial tachycardia does not respond to the medical treatment, while a definitive cure is often obtained with radiofrequency transcatheter ablations and integrated minimally-invasive approaches (atrial appendage clip). This paper describes physiopathological mechanisms underlying the focal atrial tachycardia, its anatomical localizations, the clinical patterns and the fundamentals of the diagnosis. Finally, the more recent treatment strategies will be illustrated and discussed.