Effects of Pulsed Radiofrequency Source on Cardiac Ablation

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Computational Modeling
• Cardiovascular Ablation Technologies

Background:

• Heart arrhythmia stems from abnormal myocardial electrical conduction, treatable via thermal ablation.
• A key challenge in radiofrequency cardiac ablation is preventing excessive temperature peaks to avoid healthy tissue damage and device malfunction.
• Pulsed heating offers a potential solution to modulate thermal dose over time during ablation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the use of pulsed heat to control temperature fields during radiofrequency cardiac ablation.
• To determine if pulsed heating can achieve effective ablation zones without undesirable temperature spikes.

Main Methods:

• Developed a 3D computational model of the myocardium, catheter, and blood flow.
• Applied porous media, heat conduction, and Navier-Stokes equations for domain modeling.
• Solved the Laplace equation for the electric field, assuming a fixed electrode voltage modulated by a time-variable cosine function.

Main Results:

• Simulated temperature profiles under various pulsed heating conditions, dimensionless frequencies, blood flow velocities, and sustained voltages.
• Analyzed the impact of pulsed heating on induced temperature fields within the myocardium.
• Evaluated the potential for creating a controlled ablation zone while mitigating temperature peaks.

Conclusions:

• Pulsed radiofrequency ablation demonstrates potential for modulating thermal dose during cardiac ablation.
• The study provides insights into achieving therapeutic temperature profiles without causing thermal damage or electrical complications.
• Further investigation is warranted to optimize pulsed parameters for safe and effective cardiac arrhythmia treatment.