Abstract
Introduction: Contact force (CF) catheters provide feedback confirming
adequate tissue contact for optimal lesion size and minimal
complications. CF ablation catheters have resulted in decreased
procedure times and improved outcomes for ablation of atrial
fibrillation in adults. There is limited data evaluating CF use for
accessory pathway (AP) ablation or in pediatric patients. The aim of our
study was to compare a cohort who underwent AP ablation with a CF
catheter to historical controls, evaluating for differences in procedure
times, number of lesions, and outcomes. Methods: A retrospective chart
review of CF ablation cases at Children’s Wisconsin performed between
June 2015 to April 2018 was compared to a historical control cohort of
traditional radiofrequency (RF) ablations between June 2012 to June
2015. 43 patients with APs underwent 49 CF ablation procedures (18
males, 13.6 ± 3 years old) and a control cohort consisted of 77
procedures in 69 patients (38 males, 12.4 ± 4 years). Results: The
groups did not differ significantly on procedure time (CF 2.01 ± 0.48
hr, control 1.53 ± 0.48 hr, p = 0.37), or total lesions administered (CF
and control 7 ± 6 lesions, p = 0.89). CF cases showed a trend toward
improvement in acute success (98% CF, 90% controls, p = 0.15) though
with increased recurrence compared to controls (13% CF, 5% controls, p
= 0.16), neither being statistically significant. Conclusion: Our study
suggests that ablation outcomes using CF are comparable to traditional
RF ablation in pediatric patients with APs.