Very high-power, short-duration radiofrequency ablation demonstrated a significant correlation between contact force and maximum temperature (Spearman's ρ = 0.4208), with contact force ≥ 5 g resulting in significantly higher tissue heating.
Observational (n=85)
No
Does contact force correlate with temperature during very high-power, short-duration (vHPSD) radiofrequency ablation in patients with atrial fibrillation?
During very high-power, short-duration RF ablation for AF, a contact force of ≥5 g significantly improves tissue heating and correlates with maximum temperature.
Effect estimate: Spearman's ρ 0.4208
p-value: p=<0.0001
Introduction Pulmonary vein isolation is the cornerstone of rhythm-control therapy for atrial fibrillation (AF). The very high-power, short-duration (vHPSD) radiofrequency (RF) ablation is a novel technology that favors resistive heating while decreasing the role of conductive heating. Our study aimed to evaluate the correlations between contact force (CF), power, impedance drop (ID), and temperature; and to assess their role in lesion formation with the vHPSD technique. Methods Consecutive patients who underwent initial point-by-point RF catheter ablation for AF were enrolled in the study. The vHPSD ablation was performed applying 90 W for 4 s with an 8 ml/min irrigation rate. Results Data from 85 patients median age 65 (59–71) years, 34% female were collected. The median procedure time, left atrial dwelling time, and fluoroscopy time were 70 (60–90) min, 49 (42–58) min, and 7 (5–11) min, respectively. The median RF time was 312 (237-365) sec. No steam pop nor major complications occurred. A total of 6,551 vHPSD RF points were analyzed. The median of CF, maximum temperature, and ID were 14 (10–21) g, 47.6 (45.1–50.4) °C, and 8 (6–10) Ohms, respectively. CF correlated significantly with the maximum temperature ( p 0.0001). A CF of 5 g and above was associated with a significantly higher temperature compared to those lesions with a CF below 5 grams ( p 0.0001). Bilateral first-pass isolation rate was 84%. The 6-month AF-recurrence rate was 7%. Conclusion The maximum temperature and CF significantly correlate with each other during vHPSD applications. A CF ≥ 5 g leads to better tissue heating and thus might be more likely to result in good lesion formation, although this clinical study was unable to assess actual lesion sizes.
Orbán et al. (Wed,) conducted a observational in Atrial fibrillation (n=85). Very high-power, short-duration (vHPSD) radiofrequency ablation was evaluated on Correlation between contact force and maximum temperature (Spearman's ρ 0.4208, p=<0.0001). Very high-power, short-duration radiofrequency ablation demonstrated a significant correlation between contact force and maximum temperature (Spearman's ρ = 0.4208), with contact force ≥ 5 g resulting in significantly higher tissue heating.