Periesophageal vagal plexus injury is a favorable outcome predictor after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation

Esophageal Thermal Injury after Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation with High-Power (50 Watts) Radiofrequency Energy

Background and Objectives

Data regarding the safety of atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation using high-power (50 W) radiofrequency (RF) energy in Asian populations are limited. This study was conducted to evaluate the incidence and pattern of esophageal injury after high-power AF ablation in an Asian cohort.

Methods

We searched the prospective AF ablation registry to identify patients who underwent AF ablation with 50 W RF energy using the smart touch surround flow catheter (Biosense Webster, Diamond Bar, CA, USA). Visitag™ (Biosense Webster) was used for lesion annotation with predefined settings of catheter stability (3 mm for 5 seconds) and minimum contact force (50% of time >5 g). All patients underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy at 1 or 3 days after the ablation.

Results

A total of 159 patients (mean age: 63±9 years, male: 69%, paroxysmal AF: 45.3%, persistent AF: 27.7%, long-standing persistent AF: 27.0%) were analyzed. Initially, 26 patients underwent pulmonary vein isolation with 50 W for 5 seconds at each point. The remaining 133 patients underwent prolonged RF duration (anterior 10 seconds and posterior 6 seconds). The incidence rates of esophageal erythema/erosion and superficial ulceration were 1.3% for each type of the lesion. Food stasis, a suggestive finding of gastroparesis, was observed in 25 (15.7%) patients. There were no cases of cardiac tamponade, stroke, or death.

Conclusions

In Asian patients, AF ablations using 50 W resulted in very low rates of mild esophageal complications.

Catheter Ablation of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation Originating from Non-pulmonary Vein Areas

Pulmonary veins (PVs) are a major source of ectopic beats that initiate AF. PV isolation from the left atrium is an effective therapy for the majority of paroxysmal AF. However, investigators have reported that ectopy originating from non-PV areas can also initiate AF. Patients with recurrent AF after persistent PV isolation highlight the need to identify non-PV ectopy. Furthermore, adding non-PV ablation after multiple AF ablation procedures leads to lower AF recurrence and a higher AF cure rate. These findings suggest that non-PV ectopy is important in both the initiation and recurrence of AF. This article summarises current knowledge about the electrophysiological characteristics of non-PV AF, suitable mapping and ablation strategies, and the safety and efficacy of catheter ablation of AF initiated by ectopic foci originating from non-PV areas.