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

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.