Does duty-cycled phased-radiofrequency ablation increase the incidence of cerebral embolism compared to cooled-radiofrequency during atrial fibrillation ablation?
While PVAC Gold ablation for atrial fibrillation increases asymptomatic cerebral emboli and microembolic signals compared to cooled-radiofrequency, it does not appear to cause measurable neuropsychological deficits.
PVI with the new PVAC Gold was associated with a higher incidence of ACE/cerebral infarcts and number of MES. Both catheters induced a comparable procoagulant state. Because there were no measurable differences in neuropsychological status, the clinical significance of ACE remains unclear. (Cerebral Embolism CE in Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation AF CE-AF; NCT01361295).
Keçe et al. (Wed,) studied this question.