INTRODUCTION
angina, cardiac arrhythmia
ATRIAL FIBRILLATION (AF), BLIND, CARDIAC ARRHYTHMIA
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia with an 8.5% prevalence in men and 7.1% prevalence in women over the age of 55.Catheter ablation has been shown to reduce the occurrence of AF and improve quality of life and symptoms in patients with symptomatic AF when compared to medical therapy, for example the CABANA study showed significant improvements in quality of life and symptoms.The ORBITA trial (Percutaneous intervention vs placebo in angina patients) and SYMPLICITY HTN‐3 (renal denervation vs sham procedure in resistant hypertension) trials have shown that placebo controlled trials for device therapy are safe and feasible. Indeed both trials showed a placebo effect in device therapy, which had not been accounted for previously.This study is an investigator led randomized double blind trial comparing catheter ablation to sham therapy in patients with symptomatic persistent or paroxysmal AF.