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Contact force-sensing catheters
Kurt S Hoffmayer1, Edward P Gerstenfeld
1aDivision of Cardiology, Section of Cardiac Electrophysiology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin bDivision of Cardiology, Section of Cardiac Electrophysiology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
Purpose Of Review:
The purpose of this review is to highlight recent research findings in contact force-sensing radiofrequency ablation catheters.
Recent Findings:
Contact force parameters evaluated during pulmonary vein isolation for treating atrial fibrillation correlated well with the presence of gaps in the wide area circumferential ablation lines at 3 months, decreased procedural times, and improved clinical outcome at 1 year. The contact force during pulmonary vein isolation should be a target of 10-20 g of force and a minimum force-time integral of 400 g/s for each new lesion. In the ventricle, contact force varied depending on whether a transseptal versus retrograde aortic approach was utilized: contact force use yielded more visible ablation lesions at necropsy.
Summary:
Contact force-sensing catheters have demonstrated improved outcome after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation. Future studies will focus on ventricular tachycardia ablation; preliminary data suggest more durable lesions with contact force-sensing catheters. Contact force catheters may enhance academic training by giving real-time feedback regarding catheter contact, increase safety, and may lead to a resurgence in remote navigation ablation systems.
