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Review of methods for detecting electrode-tissue contact status during atrial fibrillation ablation

Mengying Zhan, Jiahao Zhang, Yuqiu Zhou, Qijun Xie, Fangfang Luo, Yu Zhou 


School of Health Sciences and Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai  200093, China. 

 

Address correspondence to: Yu Zhou, School of Health Sciences and Engineering, University of  Shanghai for Science and Technology, No.516 Jungong Road, Shanghai 200093, China. Tel: +86- 18021042556. E-mail: zhouyu@usst.edu.cn.


DOI: https://doi.org/10.61189/650204jodubt 


Received January 29, 2024; Accepted March 25, 2024; Published September 30, 2024


Highlights

● The effect of electrode-tissue contact force on the efficacy and safety of ablation of atrial fibrillation was reviewed  in detail.

● The existing contact force sensing catheters on the market are compared and introduced.

● Three impedance-related methods for assessing catheter adherence are introduced.


Abstract

Atrial fibrillation is a common cardiac arrhythmia with an annually increasing global prevalence. Ablation of atrial  fibrillation is a minimally invasive procedure that treats atrial fibrillation by using a catheter to deliver radiofrequency energy to heart tissues generating abnormal electrical potentials. The success of this procedure relies significantly on the adhesion between the catheter and the heart tissue, presenting a challenge in accurately assessing  the contact force (CF) during surgery. To improve the safety and success rate of surgery, researchers are committed to developing various methods to evaluate or detect catheter-tissue CF. Among these, some studies integrated  optical fibers or magnetic elements into the catheter tip to create CF sensing catheters that monitor CF in real  time; other studies used impedance measurement, electrical coupling index, local impedance and other methods  to evaluate the CF between the catheter and the tissue by measuring changes in electrical signals. These methods  have achieved certain success in clinical practice, offering new ways to improve the effectiveness and safety of  cardiac radiofrequency ablation surgery.

Keywords: Catheter, atrial fibrillation, bioimpedance, contact force

Zhan MY, Zhang JH, Zhou YQ,  et al. Review of methods for detecting electrode-tissue  contact status during atrial fibrillation ablation. Prog in Med Devices. 2024 Sept;2(3):89-96. doi: 10.61189/650204jodubt.
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