BACKGROUND: Fifty-watt radiofrequency applications have proven to be safe and efficient for pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). However, as PV reconnection still occurs and ablation catheter instability significantly contributes to suboptimal lesion formation, a new ablation catheter capable of delivering 90 W for 4 seconds only has been developed with the aim of improving PVI outcomes. In this setting, we sought to determine whether 90 W applications create transmural lesions without collateral damage experimentally and whether they can safely improve PVI procedures clinically compared with 50 W settings. METHODS: Experimentally, individual lesions were created in vivo in the right atrium of 6 swine with 90 W-4 seconds applications using the SmartTouch-SF catheter in a power-controlled mode (3 animals) or the QDOT-MICRO catheter in a temperature-controlled mode (3 animals). Clinically, PVI was performed in a homogenous population of 150 consecutive paroxysmal atrial fibrillation patients using CARTO and the QDOT-MICRO catheter in a temperature-controlled mode (75 patients 50 W-ablation index-guided and 75 patients 90 W-4 seconds). RESULTS: Mostly, (94.9%) experimental lesions were transmural in the thin-walled right atrium of swine. However, collateral damage was observed with both catheters in 17.9% of lesions. Clinically, 90 W procedures had a lower first-pass PVI rate (49% versus 81%, P <10 −4 ) and a higher acute PV reconnection rate (21% versus 5%, P =0.004) than 50 W procedures, whereas total procedural duration (62 versus 66 minutes, P =0.09), 1-year sinus rhythm maintenance (88% versus 90%, P =0.6) and safety (1 tamponade per group) were similar in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Experimentally, using the QDOT-MICRO catheter, 90 W-4 seconds lesions are mostly transmural in the thin-walled right atrium of swine (median depth 1.87 mm) with a moderate lesion diameter of 6.62 mm but retain the potential for collateral damage. Clinically, 90 W-4 seconds applications are associated with a lower first-pass PVI rate and a higher acute PV reconnection rate than 50 W applications but similar safety outcomes and effectiveness at 1 year.

A subparaneural injection accelerated the onset time and increased the duration of tibial nerve sensory blockade compared with circumferential extraneural injection. With unintentional intraepineural spread, the onset time was significantly shorter than for the other groups.

E lectrophysiological pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is the cornerstone of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation.1 However, the incidence of AF recurrence remains high and mostly because of PV reconnection, 2,3 emphasizing the need for more understanding of PVI durability and associated factors.In this regard, it has been elegantly shown in a swine model that elimination of the negative component of the unipolar atrial electrogram during radiofrequency applications reflects transmural lesions creation, whereas the persistence of such a negative component constantly corresponds to nontransmural lesions. 4 We have subsequently reported, in patients affected by paroxysmal AF episodes, the relevance of the atrial unipolar modification analysis as a local ablative end-point while performing PVI and its positive impact in terms of mid-term SR maintenance rate. However and interestingly, this study also has strongly suggested that the elimination of the negative component of the atrial electrogram, although it did not provide histological evidence because it was conducted in humans, may correspond either to transmural but reversible lesions (likely related to edema or transient cell damage) or to transmural and irreversible lesions (likely corresponding to transmural necrosis). 5The aim of the present study is to determine, at the histological level, whether the elimination of the negative component of the atrial electrogram during radiofrequency energy applications might in some circumstances reflect transmural but potentially reversible lesions or it might correspond to transmural and irreversible (necrotic) lesions in others.© 2015 American Heart Association, Inc. Original ArticleBackground-It has been experimentally shown that elimination of the negative component of the unipolar atrial electrogram (R morphology completion) during radiofrequency applications reflects transmural lesions creation. Subsequently, it has been clinically suggested that such a transmurality can be either irreversible or reversible. The present study is aimed to determine, at the histological level, whether transmural lesions, assessed by R morphology completion, might indeed be reversible in some circumstances or not. Methods and Results-In 6 Mongrel hound dogs, superior and inferior vena cavae were isolated and individual lesions were created in the right atrium using radiofrequency energy (30 W/48°C/17 mL/min as presettings and 10g of force in average) under CARTO guidance. Five types of lesions were created; R+0: termination of ablation at the time of R morphology completion; R+5, R+10, or R+20: extension of ablation for 5, 10, or 20 seconds, respectively, after R morphology achievement; and conventional: radiofrequency applications lasting 30 seconds irrespective of the atrial electrogram modification. All conventional, R+5, R+10, and R+20 lesions were necrotic and transmural, whereas some R+0 lesions were not (comprising a part of necrosis and a part of reversible cell damage). Interestingly, surrounding organ injuries were ob...