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Updated: Oct 27, 2026
Robotic Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: May 29, 2015
Artifactual Contact Force Rise During High-Power Radiofrequency Delivery With the QDOT MICRO Catheter: A Comparative
Toshio Makita1, Taishi Kuwahara1, Kenta Takahashi1
1Department of Cardiology, Tokyo Heart Rhythm Clinic, Tokyo, Japan.
Introduction:
Contact force (CF)-sensing technology ensures effective lesion formation and safety during radiofrequency (RF) ablation; however, the potential for an artifactual rise in CF, a false elevation not attributed to physical contact, remains poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the occurrence and magnitude of artifactual CF rise between the QDOT MICRO catheter (QMc) and the Thermocool SmartTouch SF catheter (STSFc) using a non-contact RF delivery (NCRD) test.
Methods And Results:
We retrospectively analyzed 135 patients who underwent NCRD testing in the right atrium (QMc, n = 93; STSFc, n = 42). The NCRD test was performed in a blood pool without tissue contact at power settings of 90, 50, and 40 W for QMc and 50 and 40 W for STSFc. The magnitude and incidence of CF rise (≥ 5 and ≥ 10 g) were compared. In the QMc group, a significant power-dependent increase in CF was observed: 9 g (IQR: 5-12 g) at 90 W, 3 g (IQR: 1-10 g) at 50 W, and 2 g (IQR: 1-3 g) at 40 W (p < 0.001). At 90 W, the incidence of CF rise ≥ 5 g was 76%, and that of CF rise ≥ 10 g was 46%, significantly higher than at lower settings. In contrast, the STSFc group exhibited stable CF measurements with no instances of CF rise ≥ 5 g. QMc also showed significant power-dependent elevation in electrode temperature.
Conclusion:
QMc exhibited significant power-dependent artifactual CF rise. These findings suggest that catheter-specific design and thermal effects may influence CF stability during RF delivery. Preprocedural NCRD tests may help identify catheter-specific CF instability before CF-guided ablation.
