title: Contact force monitoring during catheter ablation of intraatrial reentrant tachycardia in patients with congenital heart disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Monitoring of catheter contact force during catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation has been shown to increase efficacy and safety. However, almost no data exists on the use of this technology in catheter ablation of intraatrial reentrant tachycardia in patients with congenital heart disease. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of contact force monitoring during catheter ablation of intraatrial reentrant tachycardia in those patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Catheter ablation of intraatrial reentrant tachycardia using monitoring of catheter contact force was performed in 28 patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). Thirty-two patients matched according to gender, age, and body weight with congenital heart disease undergoing catheter ablation without contact force monitoring served as control group. Parameters reflecting acute procedural success, long-term efficacy, and safety were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Acute procedural success was statistically not different in both groups (contact force 93 % vs. control 84 %, p = 0.3). Likewise the recurrence rate 1 year after ablation as shown by Kaplan-Meier analysis did not differ (contact force 28 % vs. control 37 %, p = 0.63). Major complications were restricted to groin vessel injuries and occurred in 3 out of 60 patients (contact force n = 1; control n = 2). Complications related to excessive catheter contact force were not observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study did not show superiority of catheter contact force monitoring during ablation of intraatrial reentrant tachycardia in patients with CHD in terms of efficacy and safety. Higher contact force compared to pulmonary vein isolation might therefore be required to increase the efficacy of catheter ablation of intraatrial reentrant tachycardia in patients with congenital heart disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany. ukrause1@gwdg.de.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Krause
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Backhoff
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Sophia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Klehs
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Heike E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Paul
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013611:Tachycardia, Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Catheter ablation; Congenital heart disease; Contact force monitoring; Intraatrial reentrant tachycardia