title: Optimizing contact force during ablation of atrial fibrillation: available technologies and a look to the future.
abstract: In a select atrial fibrillation population, catheter ablation is considered first-line therapy. Prevention of early reconnection of the isolated pulmonary veins is an important goal for a successful treatment. Here, adequate catheter-tissue contact is crucial. One of the most promising new advances, therefore, is contact force (CF) sensing technology. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of innovations regarding catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation with a special focus on CF optimization. Both experimental and human studies show how CF sensing catheters lead to a reduction of fluoroscopy time, increased procedural safety and a better clinical outcome. Possible future developments include new parameters combining real-time ablation data, direct visualization of lesion formation and incorporation of robotics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Electrophysiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lennart J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: de Vries
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Electrophysiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Tamas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Szili-Torok
mesh_terms: D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000601:surgery*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000639:trends; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans
keywords: atrial fibrillation; biophysics; catheter ablation; contact force; future perspective