Robotic magnetic navigation-guided catheter ablation establishes highly effective pulmonary vein isolation in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation when compared to conventional ablation techniques

Anna M.E. Noten*, Alexander Romanov, Koen De Schouwer, Vladimir Beloborodov, Rohit Bhagwandien, Mark G. Hoogendijk, Igor Mikheenko, Sip Wijchers, Sing Chien Yap, Bruno Schwagten, Tamas Szili-Torok

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)
48 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Introduction: 

Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is a pivotal part of ablative therapy for atrial fibrillation (AF). Currently, there are multiple techniques available to realize PVI, including: manual-guided cryoballoon (MAN-CB), manual-guided radiofrequency (MAN-RF), and robotic magnetic navigation-guided radiofrequency ablation (RMN-RF). There is a lack of large prospective trials comparing contemporary RMN-RF with the more conventional ablation techniques. This study prospectively compared three catheter ablation techniques as treatment of paroxysmal AF. 

Methods: 

This multicenter, prospective study included patients with paroxysmal AF who underwent their first ablation procedure. Procedural parameters (including procedural efficiency), complication rates, and freedom of AF during 12-month follow-up, were compared between three study groups which were defined by the utilized ablation technique. 

Results: 

A total of 221 patients were included in this study. Total procedure time was significantly shorter in MAN-CB (78 ± 21 min) compared to MAN-RF (115 ± 41 min; p <.001) and compared to RMN-RF (129 ± 32 min; p <.001), whereas it was comparable between the two radiofrequency (RF) groups (p =.062). A 3% complication rate was observed, which was comparable between all groups. At 12-month follow-up, AF recurrence was observed in 40 patients (19%) and was significantly lower in the robotic group (MAN-CB 19 [24%], MAN-RF 16 [23%], RMN-RF 5 [8%] AF recurrences, p =.045) (multivariate hazard ratio of RMN-RF on AF recurrence 0.32, 95% confidence interval: 0.12–0.87, p =.026). 

Conclusion: 

RMN-guided PVI results in high freedom of AF in patients with paroxysmal AF, when compared to cryoablation and manual RF ablation. Cryoablation remains the most time-efficient ablation technique, whereas RMN nowadays has comparable efficiency with manual RF ablation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2472-2483
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology
Volume34
Issue number12
Early online date28 Sept 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.

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