Achieving larger, safer lesions with low power settings and extended durations, ex-vivo experiments

Catheter Ablation is a minimally invasive procedure treats tachycardia by eliminating or modifying heart areas responsible for abnormal rhythms. It is increasingly used as a first-line treatment. Ablation can be performed using various methods, but radiofrequency (RF) ablation, generating heat to cause cell death, is one of the most common.This study examines achieving larger, safer lesions with low power settings and extended durations. Previous research has focused primarily on atrial fibrillation. But lesions for atrial tissue may not suffice for ventricular tachycardia due to deeper tissue requirements.The study deployed low power settings (15 W-20 W) and long ablation times through ex vivo experiments on bovine heart tissue. Ablations with low power and extended times can achieve larger lesions without adverse events such as tissue steam pops.Repeated ablations on the same site lead to increased lesion size but with limited significance and enhanced risk of adverse events.The study proposes that an in vivo confirmation is vital to validate the trends observed.Clinical Relevance-Previous research has primarily focused on atrial fibrillation. However, lesions for atrial tissue may not suffice for ventricular tachycardia due to the deeper tissue requirements. If the results of this experiment are confirmed in in vivo studies, they could provide electrophysiologists with an alternative method to achieve transmural lesions in the ventricles when required for certain arrhythmias.