title: Animal studies of epicardial atrial ablation.
abstract: The Cox maze procedure is an effective treatment of atrial fibrillation, with a long-term freedom from recurrence greater than 90%. The original procedure was highly invasive and required cardiopulmonary bypass. Modifications of the procedure that eliminate the need for cardiopulmonary bypass have been proposed, including use of alternative energy sources to replace cut-and-sew lesions with lines of ablation made from the epicardium on the beating heart. This has been challenging because atrial wall muscle thickness is extremely variable, and the muscle can be covered with an epicardial layer of fat. Moreover, the circulating intracavitary blood acts as a potential heat sink, making transmural lesions difficult to obtain. In this report, we summarize the use of nine different unidirectional devices (four radiofrequency, two microwave, two lasers, one cryothermic) for creating continuous transmural lines of ablation from the atrial epicardium in a porcine model. We define a unidirectional device as one in which all the energy is applied by a single transducer on a single heart surface. The maximum penetration of any device was 8.3 mm. All devices except one, the AtriCure Isolator pen, failed to penetrate 2 mm in some nontransmural sections. Future development of unidirectional energy sources should be directed at increasing the maximum depth and the consistency of penetration.
authors: Barnes Jewish Hospital and Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA. schuesslerr@wustl.edu
authors: Richard B
authors: RB
authors: Schuessler
authors: Anson M
authors: AM
authors: Lee
authors: Spencer J
authors: SJ
authors: Melby
authors: Rochus K
authors: RK
authors: Voeller
authors: Sydney L
authors: SL
authors: Gaynor
authors: Shun-Ichiro
authors: S
authors: Sakamoto
authors: Ralph J
authors: RJ
authors: Damiano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D003452:Cryosurgery / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D004867:Equipment Design; D004869:Equipment Safety; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D008872:Microwaves / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D023421:Models, Animal; D010496:Pericardium / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000528:radiation effects; D013552:Swine; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014464:Ultrasonic Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods