Purpose of review The cryoballoon catheter has been an option for the treatment of atrial fibrillation for over a decade. The most widely used device is the Medtronic Arctic Advance cryoballoon catheter. Recently, Boston Scientific has released the POLARx cryoballoon catheter. Here we review the major changes in the catheter system's design and its implications for procedural practice. Recent findings The POLARx cryoballoon catheter has been approved for use in Europe. Some studies have been published detailing the first clinical experiences in vivo with this newest technology. Summary The changes to the POLARx cryoballoon catheter, particularly its ability to maintain balloon size and pressure, will improve occlusion and theoretically improve procedural outcomes.

IntroductionWe conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis (SRMA) to evaluate the impact of bariatric surgery on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as represented by the following polysomnography (PSG) parameters: apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), oxygen desaturation index (ODI), mean oxygen desaturation (mean SpO2), total sleep time spent with SpO2 < 90% (T-90), and the nadir of oxygen saturation (L SpO2).MethodsA comprehensive search of the literature was conducted in Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus databases from inception to March 31, 2023. Only articles written in English were reviewed. The analysis of all outcomes was performed using a random-effects model. We included 30 studies (two randomized controlled trials and 28 observational studies) in the final quantitative synthesis with a total of 1,369 patients.ResultsWe concluded that bariatric surgery (regardless of the type) was associated with reduction in AHI [MD 23.2 events/h (95%CI 19.7, 26.8)], ODI [MD 26.8 events/h (95%CI 21.6, 32.1)], mean SpO2 [MD−1.94% (95%CI −2.5, −1.4)], T-90 [MD 7.5min (95%CI 5.0, 10.0)], and L SpO2 [MD 9.0% (95%CI −11.8, −6.3)].ConclusionOur SRMA results are updates to previously published results and continue to support the positive impact of bariatric surgery on OSA and sleep-related hypoxia.