Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2026
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Robotic Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: May 29, 2015
Intra-operative RF ablation in the atria
1Boston Scientific, San Jose, CA, USA.
Summary
Two radiofrequency ablation methods were tested for creating atrial lesions. Internal cooling significantly reduced lesion creation time in the monopolar approach, while the bipolar clamp effectively isolated pulmonary veins.
Area of Science:
- Electrophysiology
- Cardiovascular Surgery
Background:
- Epicardial ablation is a key technique for treating cardiac arrhythmias.
- Creating transmural lesions from the epicardium presents challenges due to heat loss.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate two epicardial radiofrequency ablation methods for creating atrial transmural lesions.
- To compare the efficacy of monopolar with internal cooling versus bipolar clamp ablation.
Main Methods:
- Monopolar radiofrequency ablation with an internally cooled electrode probe.
- Bipolar clamp radiofrequency ablation using electrodes on opposing jaws.
- In vitro and in vivo (sheep) experiments to assess lesion characteristics and pulmonary vein isolation.
Main Results:
- Internal cooling reduced epicardial lesion formation time to 45 seconds, achieving transmurality despite convective cooling.
- Bipolar clamp ablation created transmural lesions up to 1 cm thick in 30 seconds.
- Bipolar clamp successfully achieved electrophysiological isolation of pulmonary veins in animal models.
Conclusions:
- Internal cooling enhances monopolar radiofrequency ablation for efficient transmural lesion creation.
- Bipolar clamp ablation is a reliable method for pulmonary vein isolation using the epicardial approach.
