A novel thermochromic myocardial phantom for radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation

In the growing field of electrophysiology, cardiac ablation either via heating or freezing target tissues using catheters, induces localised scarring to block or destroy defective electrical pathways in the heart. To test equipment and ablation settings, studies have resorted to ex-vivo and in-vivo models including pigs, dogs, and chickens. The use of animal tissue presents ethical and logistical complications and introduces variability between samples and between studies. In a scientific community faced with progressively more stringent ethics and regulations on animal testing, a more practical and ethical alternative should be established. To meet this need, multiple studies have proposed tissue-mimicking materials. However, either toxicity or poorly matched physical properties, prevented these materials from reaching widespread application. Furthermore, no material has yet been identified to test both cryoablation and radiofrequency ablation. Here, we present a novel thermochromic alginate hydrogel material that can simulate ablation lesions for both radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation. This material could find direct applications in electrophysiology, but adapted mixtures could also be used to recreate other tissues for different simulations.