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Improved left ventriculography with the new 5F helical-tip Halo catheter
E A Caracciolo1, M J Kern, W C Collis
1Department of Internal Medicine, St. Louis University Hospital, MO 63110.
Insights
The new 5F Halo catheter significantly reduces ventricular ectopy during left ventriculography compared to standard pigtail catheters. This innovation improves data interpretation in cardiac catheterization procedures.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Devices
- Diagnostic Imaging
Background:
- Standard 5F and 6F pigtail catheters are commonly used for left ventriculography.
- Pigtail catheters are associated with a high incidence of ventricular ectopy, potentially limiting data interpretation.
- A novel 5F halo angiographic catheter with a helical-tip design has been developed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the incidence of ventricular ectopy and catheter movement during left ventriculography.
- To compare the performance of the new 5F halo catheter with standard 5F and 6F pigtail catheters.
Main Methods:
- 155 patients underwent left ventriculography during diagnostic cardiac catheterization.
- The 5F halo catheter was used in 63 studies, and standard 5F/6F pigtail catheters in 82 studies.
- Catheter movement and ventricular ectopy (ventricular premature beats) were quantified and compared between catheter types.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were found in left ventricular pressures, left ventricular score, or diagnostic quality between the halo and pigtail catheters.
- Mean ventricular ectopy was significantly lower with the 5F halo catheter (0.9 VPBs) compared to the 5F pigtail (2.3 VPBs) and 6F pigtail (2.9 VPBs) catheters (p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- The 5F halo angiographic catheter demonstrates a significant reduction in ventricular ectopy during left ventriculography.
- This novel catheter design offers an advantage over standard pigtail catheters by minimizing arrhythmias.
- The 5F halo catheter may improve the precision of data interpretation in left ventriculography.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of ventricular ectopy and catheter movement during left ventriculography with a new 5F halo angiographic catheter that has a unique helical-tip design unlike the design of standard 5F and 6F pigtail catheters. The pigtail catheter is presently preferred for left ventriculography, although its use is associated with a high incidence of ventricular ectopy, which often limits precise interpretation of data. In this study, 155 patients (in 145 unpaired and 10 paired studies) underwent left ventriculography during diagnostic cardiac catheterization. In the unpaired group, the 5F Halo catheter was used in 63 studies and standard 5F and 6F pigtail catheters in 40 and 42 studies, respectively. An additional 10 patients had two consecutive left ventriculograms with 5F Halo and pigtail catheters. Ventriculograms were performed with the same technique in the 30-degree right anterior oblique projection. The left ventricle was divided into a basal zone, midzone, and apical zone. Catheter movement within the ventricle was scored as significant if there was at least one zone change. Ventricular ectopy was quantified by a simultaneous electrocardiographic recording during contrast injection. There were no significant differences in the left ventricular systolic or end-diastolic pressures, left ventricular score, or diagnostic quality of the ventriculograms between the 5F Halo catheter group and the 5F and 6F pigtail catheter groups. Mean ventricular ectopy with the 5F Halo catheter was significantly less (0.9 +/- 1.4 ventricular premature beats [VPBs]) than with the 5F pigtail catheter (2.3 +/- 2.5 VPBs, p < 0.001) or the 6F pigtail catheter (2.9 +/- 2.9 VPBs, p < 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)