Low-fluoroscopy atrial fibrillation ablation with contact force and ultrasound technologies: a learning curve

Clinical outcomes of radiofrequency catheter ablation guided by intracardiac echocardiography for Chinese atrial fibrillation patients: a single-center, retrospective study

Background

Intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) is a novel technology with certain advantages in treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF), yet there is limited research on the use of ICE in radiofrequency ablation for AF treatment in China. The aim of this study was to investigate the total fluoroscopy time and dose, safety, and effectiveness of ICE guided vs. traditional fluoroscopy (non-ICE) guided radiofrequency ablation for AF in China.

Methods

We conducted a single-center retrospective analysis of patients who underwent ICE or traditional fluoroscopy-guided radiofrequency ablation for AF. The primary endpoint of this study was total fluoroscopy time, and the secondary endpoints included total fluoroscopy dose, acute surgery failure, transseptal puncture time, ablation time, total procedure time, and 6-month surgery success (no AF recurrence or atrial flutter). As an exploratory analysis, outcomes of interest by different types of AF were examined.

Results

A total of 97 patients were included in the analysis. Forty-eight were in the ICE group and 49 were in the non-ICE group with comparable demographic and clinical characteristics at the baseline. None of patients experienced acute surgery failure with no major procedure-related complications occurred. The fluoroscopic time and dose were significantly lower in the ICE group compared to the non-ICE group (0.00 vs. 9.67±4.88 min, P<0.001; 0.00 vs. 77.10±44.28 mGy/cm2, P<0.001, respectively). There were no statistically significant differences in transseptal puncture time, ablation time and total procedure time between the two groups. There were two AF recurrences observed during the 6-month follow-up in each group (P>0.99).

Conclusions

ICE significantly reduced the fluoroscopic time and dose for radiofrequency catheter ablation in AF patients. There were no significant differences in safety or effectiveness outcomes between the ICE and non-ICE groups.

Practical guidance to reduce radiation exposure in electrophysiology applying ultra low-dose protocols: a European Heart Rhythm Association review

Interventional electrophysiology offers a great variety of treatment options to patients suffering from symptomatic cardiac arrhythmia. Catheter ablation of supraventricular and ventricular tachycardia has globally evolved a cornerstone in modern arrhythmia management. Complex interventional electrophysiological procedures engaging multiple ablation tools have been developed over the past decades. Fluoroscopy enabled interventional electrophysiologist throughout the years to gain profound knowledge on intracardiac anatomy and catheter movement inside the cardiac cavities and hence develop specific ablation approaches. However, the application of X-ray technologies imposes serious health risks to patients and operators. To reduce the use of fluoroscopy during interventional electrophysiological procedures to the possibly lowest degree and to establish an optimal protection of patients and operators in cases of fluoroscopy is the main goal of modern radiation management. The present manuscript gives an overview of possible strategies of fluoroscopy reduction and specific radiation protection strategies.

Steerable sheath visualizable under 3D electroanatomical mapping facilitates paroxysmal atrial fibrillation ablation with minimal fluoroscopy

BACKGROUND

Advances in technology and workflows have facilitated substantial reductions in fluoroscopy utilization and procedure times for atrial fibrillation (AF) ablations. A recently available steerable sheath, visualizable on a 3D electroanatomical map (EAM), may further simplify low/zero fluoroscopy ablation workflows by facilitating understanding of the relative positions of the catheter and sheath. The objective of this study was to demonstrate feasibility, safety, procedural efficiency, and clinical effectiveness of incorporating the new visualizable sheath into a low-fluoroscopy workflow.

METHODS

Consecutive de novo paroxysmal AF procedures were performed with a porous tip contact force catheter at a high-volume site between January 2018 and May 2019. Procedures performed with and without the VIZIGO™ EAM-visualizable sheath (Vizigo) were compared. All ablations employed the same standardized low-fluoroscopy workflow. Statistical analyses employed stabilized inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTW) to balance cohorts by operator and key patient characteristics.

RESULTS

Cohorts of 142 Vizigo and 173 non-Vizigo patients were similar at baseline. Use of the Vizigo sheath was associated with approximately 10% improvement in catheter stability (p = 0.0005), 16% reduction in radiofrequency time (p < 0.0001), and 7% fewer ablations that used fluoroscopy (p = 0.0030). There was one cardiac tamponade in each cohort and no deaths, atrioesophageal fistulas, or strokes. Single-procedure freedom from atrial arrhythmia recurrence through 12 months was similar between cohorts (p = 0.9556).

CONCLUSIONS

Use of a 3D EAM-visualizable sheath resulted in improved catheter stability, reduced radiofrequency time, and more procedures performed without fluoroscopy, without compromise to safety or effectiveness.

Intracardiac echocardiography Chinese expert consensus

In recent years, percutaneous catheter interventions have continuously evolved, becoming an essential strategy for interventional diagnosis and treatment of many structural heart diseases and arrhythmias. Along with the increasing complexity of cardiac interventions comes ever more complex demands for intraoperative imaging. Intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) is well-suited for these requirements with real-time imaging, real-time monitoring for intraoperative complications, and a well-tolerated procedure. As a result, ICE is increasingly used many types of cardiac interventions. Given the lack of relevant guidelines at home and abroad and to promote and standardize the clinical applications of ICE, the members of this panel extensively evaluated relevant research findings, and they developed this consensus document after discussions and correlation with front-line clinical work experience, aiming to provide guidance for clinicians and to further improve interventional cardiovascular diagnosis and treatment procedures.

Effectiveness of Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation Using Ablation Index Versus Second Generation Cryoballoon in the Treatment of Persistent Atrial Fibrillation: A Matching-Adjusted Indirect Comparison

Introduction

Both radiofrequency (RF) and cryoballoon (CB) ablation are treatment options for persistent atrial fibrillation (PsAF). An important recent innovation in RF ablation is Ablation Index (AI), known also as the VISITAG SURPOINT™ Module, a composite lesion quality marker whose use has been shown to significantly reduce the incidence of acute and late pulmonary vein (PV) reconnection and the recurrence of atrial arrhythmias in PsAF. Due to a lack of direct comparative evidence between the latest generations of technologies, there is uncertainty regarding the best treatment option in PsAF. The objective of the present study was to conduct a matching-adjusted indirect treatment comparison (MAIC) using individual patient-level data (IPD) to assess the comparative effectiveness of the THERMOCOOL SMARTTOUCH™ Catheter or the THERMOCOOL SMARTTOUCH™ SF Catheter with AI/VISITAG SURPOINT™ Module (STAI) versus the second-generation CB catheter (Arctic Front Advance™; herein referred to as CB) with respect to 12-month atrial arrhythmia recurrence, fluoroscopy time, and procedural efficiency.

Methods

IPD for STAI were obtained from four investigator-initiated studies and were pooled. Comparable CB studies identified from a systematic literature review were also pooled. In the absence of a common treatment arm between STAI and CB studies, an unanchored MAIC was conducted. The primary analysis compared the pooled STAI IPD to the pooled CB cohort, with corrections for differences across trials, including eligibility criteria and patient baseline characteristics. Scenario and sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the robustness of the primary analysis.

Results

In the primary analysis, which was adjusted for left atrial diameter (LAD), age, diabetes, and sex, STAI was associated with a statistically significant 65% relative reduction in the rate of arrhythmia recurrence compared to CB at 12-month follow-up (HR 0.35; 95% CI 0.23, 0.52). STAI was associated with shorter total fluoroscopy time than CB but longer procedure time. Results were consistent across scenario and sensitivity analyses.

Conclusion

Radiofrequency ablation with AI significantly reduced atrial arrhythmia recurrence at 12-month follow-up and fluoroscopy time compared to CB, with longer procedure times.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12325-021-01846-z.

Operator learning curve and clinical outcomes of zero fluoroscopy catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation, supraventricular tachycardia, and ventricular arrhythmias

PURPOSE

To investigate the learning curve for atrial fibrillation (AF), supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), and premature ventricular contraction (PVC) radiofrequency ablation (RFA) using zero fluoroscopy.

METHODS

This is a retrospective, single-center study of 167 patients undergoing ablation between 2016 and 2019. Minimal fluoroscopy approach was initiated after the first 20 cases of PVI and SVT RFA. Procedures were divided consecutively into increments of 10 cases to determine operator learning curve.

RESULTS

A total of 64 (38%) had SVT ablations, 26 (16%) had PVC ablations, and 77 (46%) had AF and underwent PVI. For SVT RFA, fluoroscopy time improved from 4.1 ± 3.5 min during the first 10 cases to 0.8 ± 1.2 min after 50 cases (p = 0.0001). Sixty-two out of 64 (97%) of cases were successful. In PVC RFA, fluoroscopy time was 7.7 ± 5.5 min for the first 5, 2.3 ± 3.4 min after 15, and 0 min after 20 cases (p = 0.0008). Twenty-four out of 26 (92%) of cases were acutely successful with recurrence in 2/26 (8%) of patients over 9 ± 9 months. In PVI, fluoroscopy time was 9.9 ± 3.3 min over the first 20 cases, 2.6 ± 2.3 min after 40 cases, and 0.1 min after 50 cases (p < 0.0001). PVI procedure time was 170 ± 34 min after 60 cases from 235 ± 41 min initially (p 0.001). Six out of 77 (8%) had AF recurrence at 12 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Zero fluoroscopy ablation for AF, SVT, and PVC can be safely achieved without increasing procedure time. The steepest learning curve occurs over the first 20, 15, and 40 cases for SVT, PVC, and PVI ablation respectively.

Safety and efficacy of zero fluoroscopy transseptal puncture with different approaches

INTRODUCTION

Atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation requires access to the left atrium (LA) via transseptal puncture (TP). TP is traditionally performed with fluoroscopic guidance. Use of intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) and three-dimensional mapping allows for zero fluoroscopy TP.

OBJECTIVE

To demonstrate safety and efficacy of zero fluoroscopy TP using multiple procedural approaches.

METHODS

Patients undergoing AF ablation between January 2015 and November 2017 at five institutions were included. ICE and three-dimensional mapping were used for sheath positioning and TP. Variable technical approaches were used across centers including placement of J wire in the superior vena cava with ICE guidance followed by dragging down the transseptal sheath into the interatrial septum, or guiding the transseptal sheath directly to the interatrial septum by localizing the ablation catheter with three-dimensional mapping and replacing it with the transseptal needle once in position. In patients with pacemaker/implantable cardiac defibrillator leads, pre-/poststudy device interrogation was performed.

RESULTS

A total of 747 TPs were performed (646 patients, age 63.1 ± 13.1, 67.5% male, LA volume index 34.5 ± 15.8 mL/m² , ejection fraction 57.7 ± 10.9%) with 100% success. No punctures required fluoroscopy. Two pericardial effusions, two pericardial tamponades requiring pericardiocentesis, and one transient ischemic attack were observed during the overall ablation procedure, with a total complication rate of 0.7%. There were no other periprocedural complications related to TP, including intrathoracic bleeding, stroke, or death both immediately following TP and within 30 days of the procedure. In patients with intracardiac devices, no device-related complications were observed.

CONCLUSION

TP can be safely and effectively performed without the need for fluoroscopy.