This paper looked t 490 consecutive patients with paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation (AFib) who underwent first-time pulmonary vein encircling. Patients were divided into four groups according to operator preference in choosing the ablation catheter (choosing between a contact force or contact force surround flow catheter) and the AI setting (either 330 posterior and 450 anterior wall, or 380 posterior and 500 anterior wall). The results indicated that the rate of first-pass pulmonary vein isolation was similar among the four study groups. Procedure time and fluoroscopy time significantly differed. The researchers concluded that “an ablation protocol respecting strict criteria for contiguity and quality lesion results in high and comparable rate of acute pulmonary vein isolation among operator performing ablation with different catheters, AI settings, procedure and fluoroscopy times.”
Solimene F, Lepillier A, DeRuvo R, et al. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol. 2019;doi:10.1111/pace.13710