The year 1988 marked the beginning of the International Workshop on Cardiac Arrhythmias. This biannual series of meetings was initiated with the following goals: (1) to present technological advances in the field of cardiac arrhythmias, (2) to publicise the results of current research, and (3) to assess the impact of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. In addition, by bringing together experts in this field, controversial aspects in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias could be discussed, allowing a cons- sus to be reached regarding the evaluation and management of specific d- ease conditions. The success achieved in reaching these goals and the utility of the workshops have been confirmed by their increasing recognition and level of attendance. The Proceedings of the Ninth Edition of the Workshop is a compilation of the topics presented at the most recent meeting, which was held in Venice at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini from the 2nd to the 5th of October 2005. The book is divided into eight sections, each addressing a different aspect of c- diac arrhythmia: Supraventricular Arrhythmia and Atrial Flutter; Atrial Fibrillation: Pathophysiology, Clinical and Therapeutic Aspects; Atrial Fibrillation: Catheter Ablation and Other Non-pharmacological Therapies; Hereditary Arrhythmogenic Syndromes; Sudden Death: Prediction and Prevention; Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy: Indications and Results; Cardiac Pacing: Technical and Clinical Aspects; Syncope: Evaluation and Therapies.
