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Updated: Mar 11, 2026
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Catheter Ablation in Combination With Left Atrial Appendage Closure for Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: February 26, 2013
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Contact Force and Atrial Fibrillation Ablation.
W Ullah1, R J Schilling1, T Wong1
1Cardiology Research Department, Barts Heart Centre, St Bartholomew's Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK.
Journal of Atrial Fibrillation
|December 3, 2016
Summary
Contact force (CF)-sensing catheters improve radiofrequency ablation efficacy and safety by optimizing catheter contact with the myocardium. Further research is needed to define optimal CF parameters for ablation success.
Area of Science:
- Electrophysiology
- Medical Devices
Background:
- Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) catheter contact with myocardium influences lesion size and procedural safety.
- Factors like respiration and catheter delivery affect catheter-tip contact variability.
- Excessive contact can lead to complications such as steam pops and perforation.
Approach:
- Utilizing novel catheters with contact force (CF) sensing capabilities.
- Comparing outcomes of RFA procedures with and without CF-sensing technology.
- Investigating methods to define optimal CF targets, including assessing pulmonary vein reconnection and impedance response.
Key Points:
- CF-sensing technology may improve complication rates, procedure times, and success rates in RFA.
- Some studies show no significant difference in outcomes with CF data.
- Mean CF, force-time integral, and contact stability are crucial for ablation efficacy.
Conclusions:
- CF-sensing technology is increasingly adopted as a standard of care in RFA.
- Optimization of individual RF applications using CF data can enhance efficacy and safety.
- Multicenter prospective randomized data are essential to establish definitive optimal CF parameters for ablation.
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