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Total mortality, especially of cardiac cause, is lower than previously described in BFB patients. Advanced NYHA class and renal failure are predictors of cardiac mortality.

Background The diagnostic accuracy of incremental atrial pacing (IP) to determine complete cavo‐tricuspid isthmus (CTI) block during typical atrial flutter (AFL) ablation is limited by both an extensive/nonlinear ablation and/or the presence of intra‐atrial conduction delay elsewhere in the right atrium. We examined the diagnostic performance of an IP variant based on the assessment of the atrial potentials adjacent to the ablation line which aims at overcoming both limitations. Methods From a prospective population of 108 consecutive patients, 15 were excluded due to observation of inconclusive CTI ablation potentials precluding for a straight comparison between the IP maneuver and its variant. In the remaining 93, IP was performed from the low lateral right atrium and the coronary sinus ostium, with the ablation catheter positioned both at the CTI line and adjacent (<5 mm) to its septal and lateral aspect. The IP variant consisted of measuring the interval between the two atrial electrograms situated on the same side of the ablation line, opposite to the pacing site, a ≤10 ms increase indicating complete CTI block. Results The IP maneuver and its variant were consistent with complete CTI block in 82/93 (88%) and 87/93 (93%) patients, respectively. Four patients had AFL recurrence during follow‐up: 2/4 and 4/4 had been adequately classified as incomplete block by the IP maneuver and its variant, respectively. Twenty‐three patients (24%) had significant intra‐atrial conduction delay elsewhere in the right atrium. The IP maneuver and its variant were suggestive of an incomplete CTI block in 11/23 and 4/23 in this setting (P = .028), with the later best predicting subsequent AFL relapses (2/12 vs 2/4, P = .01). Conclusions The IP variant, which was designed to overcome the limitations of the conventional IP maneuver, accurately distinguishes complete from incomplete CTI block and helps to predict AFL recurrences after ablation.