Contact force-sensing catheters

Purpose of review The purpose of this review is to highlight recent research findings in contact force-sensing radiofrequency ablation catheters. Recent findings Contact force parameters evaluated during pulmonary vein isolation for treating atrial fibrillation correlated well with the presence of gaps in the wide area circumferential ablation lines at 3 months, decreased procedural times, and improved clinical outcome at 1 year. The contact force during pulmonary vein isolation should be a target of 10-20 g of force and a minimum force-time integral of 400 g/s for each new lesion. In the ventricle, contact force varied depending on whether a transseptal versus retrograde aortic approach was utilized: contact force use yielded more visible ablation lesions at necropsy. Summary Contact force-sensing catheters have demonstrated improved outcome after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation. Future studies will focus on ventricular tachycardia ablation; preliminary data suggest more durable lesions with contact force-sensing catheters. Contact force catheters may enhance academic training by giving real-time feedback regarding catheter contact, increase safety, and may lead to a resurgence in remote navigation ablation systems.