A novel radiofrequency ablation catheter using contact force sensing: Toccata study

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Devices
• Electrophysiology

Background:

• Radiofrequency (RF) ablation is used for cardiac arrhythmias.
• Contact force (CF) between catheter tip and tissue impacts RF ablation outcomes.
• Both insufficient and excessive CF can lead to ineffective treatment or complications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the safety of a novel force-sensing RF ablation catheter.
• To assess device- and procedure-related safety during real-time CF measurement.
• To present CF data and its implications for patient safety in cardiac ablation.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter study involving 77 patients undergoing percutaneous ablation.
• Patients had either supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) or atrial fibrillation (AF).
• A novel catheter measuring real-time contact force (CF) was used, with CF and safety events recorded.

Main Results:

• CF values varied significantly between investigators during mapping.
• High transient CFs (>100 g) were observed in a significant portion of patients in the AF group.
• One device-related complication (tamponade) occurred in the AF group (3%).

Conclusions:

• Catheter ablation with real-time CF technology is safe for SVT and AF treatment.
• CF monitoring provides crucial information for safe catheter manipulation.
• Future CF-sensing catheters may enhance RF ablation effectiveness by improving lesion size control.