This study will be divided into two phases. The purpose of the Phase I registry is to assess the current force being used for ablation of symptomatic paroxysmal AF in a wide range of operators in different Canadian centres with the operators being blinded to the contact force data. In Phase II of the study, operators will have open use of the force contact data. Phase I and II data will be compared in order to assess the efficiency of using the THERMOCOOL® SMARTTOUCH™ catheter.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia affecting over 5% of the population above the age of 65 years. The use of percutaneous catheter ablation for symptomatic management has increased over the last decade. It is well established that AF ablation is superior to anti-arrhythmic drugs for symptomatic recurrence of AF. Despite this, success rates with a single procedure for paroxysmal AF is approximately 80% with the majority of recurrence due to recovery of lesions or "gaps" found at repeat procedures. In this study, patients with symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) will undergo ablation using a newly Health Canada approved catheter with SmartTouch technology that enables the measurement of catheter tip contact force and direction inside the heart. The purpose of Phase I of the study is to assess the current force being used for ablation of symptomatic paroxysmal AF in a wide range of operators in different Canadian centres with the operators being blinded to the contact force data. The secondary objective will be to assess whether lesion recovery, as assessed in redo procedures, corresponds to contact force measurements. It is hypothesized that gaps found on repeat procedures will correspond to ablation lesions associated with a lower contact force. In Phase II, operators will have open use of the force contact data. Phase I and II data will be compared in order to assess the efficiency of using the SmartTouch catheter. It is hypothesized that the open use of contact force data will decrease the procedural time and number of lesions to achieve bidirectional pulmonary vein isolation.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
30
London Health Sciences Centre
London, Ontario, Canada
Procedural Time
Length of time between first ablation and last ablation
Time frame: participants will be followed for the duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 36 hours
Lesion Recovery
Localization of recovered gaps
Time frame: up to 1 year
Ablation Time
Total time of ablation used during procedure
Time frame: participants will be followed for the duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 36 hours
Number of ablation lesions
Total number of ablation lesions to achieve bidirectional block of all 4 pulmonary veins
Time frame: participants will be followed for the duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 36 hours
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