Preimplant atrial defibrillation testing with a temporary catheter in sheep

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Implantation of atrial defibrillators requires pre-operative testing of device effectiveness.
• Existing methods for testing atrial defibrillation thresholds can be invasive or require permanent lead placement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of a novel temporary catheter for atrial defibrillation threshold testing.
• To compare atrial defibrillation thresholds determined by temporary catheters versus permanent leads.

Main Methods:

• A new temporary catheter with electrodes for defibrillation, sensing, and pacing was tested in six sheep.
• Atrial defibrillation thresholds were measured using the temporary catheter on day one and permanent leads on day two.
• Electrodes were consistently placed in the distal coronary sinus and right atrium for both catheter types.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences were observed in atrial defibrillation threshold energy (0.53 J vs. 0.55 J), voltage (122 V vs. 120 V), or current (2.2 A vs. 2.6 A) between temporary and permanent leads.
• The temporary catheter accurately predicted the atrial defibrillation threshold determined by permanent leads.

Conclusions:

• Temporary catheters are a viable and accurate tool for pre-implantation efficacy testing of atrial defibrillators.
• The use of temporary catheters can adequately predict atrial defibrillation thresholds for chronic lead performance.