Catheter ablation is an important therapeutic modality for the treatment of patients
with atrial fibrillation (AF). Although it is a complex procedure that requires specific
training, multiple advancements have occurred, including development of new technology
to help reduce AF recurrence. Contact force (CF) technology has been recently adopted
to enhance lesion formation by helping to ensure tissue contact and adequate lesion
depth. Previously, surrogate measures such as a fall in impedance or rise in temperature
were used to assess lesion quality, in addition to tactile sensation to help estimate
catheter-tissue contact. CF-sensing catheters have been shown to result in a more
durable effect of ablation lesions and lower AF recurrence rates (37% reduction during
12-month follow-up).
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 30, 2017
Footnotes
Dr. Russo has received clinical research support from Boston Scientific and Medtronic as well as honoraria from Biotronik, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, and St. Jude Medical.
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of Heart Rhythm Society.
ScienceDirect
Access this article on ScienceDirectLinked Article
- Risk of atrioesophageal fistula formation with contact force–sensing cathetersHeart RhythmVol. 14Issue 9
- PreviewAtrioesophageal fistula formation is a rare but life-threatening complication of atrial fibrillation ablation. Contact force (CF)–sensing catheters improve procedural effectiveness. However, the impact of the implementation of CF-sensing technology on the risk of atrioesophageal fistula formation has not been explored.
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