Radiofrequency energy delivery for pulmonary vein isolation: is less more?
Hakan Oral* and Fred Morady Department of Cardiology, TC B1 140D, University of Michigan Health System, 1500 E. Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0311, USA * Corresponding author. Tel: +1 734 936 5840; fax: +1 734 936 7026. E-mail address: oralh{at}umich.edu’ + u + ‘@’ + d + ”//–> As catheter ablation to eliminate atrial fibrillation (AF) has evolved, new catheter technologies have become available to increase lesion size and improve safety. Pulmonary vein (PV) isolation was first performed with radiofrequency energy using a 4 mm tip electrode. Subsequently, 8 10 mm tip electrodes and irrigated-tip catheters became available.1 The premise of these systems is that as the catheter tip is cooled either by blood flow or by an irrigant, more energy can be delivered deep in the tissue without reaching the temperature ceiling at the catheter tip tissue interface. Furthermore, the risk of thrombus or char formation is also reduced.2 Besides radiofrequency energy, other types of energ
Related Questions
- How important is the assessment of quality of life after pulmonary vein isolation for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation?
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- What is an atrial fibrillation ablation or a pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) procedure?
