Why the study?
Esophageal thermal injury remains a risk during ablation of the posterior left atrium despite existing devices, prompting evaluation of a commercially available esophageal cooling device for protection.
Does a commercially-available esophageal cooling device reduce esophageal mucosal damage in patients undergoing catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation?
Population
6 patients undergoing catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation
Comparison
Esophageal cooling device vs single-sensor temperature probe with adjunct iced-water instillation
Design
Randomized pilot study
Follow-up
3-month follow-up
Key result
An esophageal cooling device reduced the incidence of Zargar 2a esophageal lesions (33.3% vs 66.7%) compared to reactive iced-water instillation during catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation.
Authors
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Supports esophageal cooling to reduce thermal injury during AF ablation; extends prior data with this RCT.
RCT (n=6)
randomized
No
Does a commercially-available esophageal cooling device reduce esophageal mucosal damage in patients undergoing catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation?
Absolute Event Rate: 33.3% vs 66.7%
An esophageal cooling device showed potential to reduce the severity of esophageal thermal injury during AF ablation in a small pilot study.
Clark et al. (2020) conducted an RCT in Atrial Fibrillation (n=6). Esophageal cooling device vs. Standard of care (single-sensor temperature probe with adjunct iced-water instillation) was evaluated on Esophageal mucosal damage (Zargar 2a lesions). An esophageal cooling device reduced the incidence of Zargar 2a esophageal lesions (33.3% vs 66.7%) compared to reactive iced-water instillation during catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation.