General anaesthesia and deep sedation for monopolar pulsed field ablation using a lattice-tip catheter combined with a novel three-dimensional mapping system.

Abstract

Aims: A novel three-dimensional mapping platform combined with a lattice-tip catheter that can toggle between monopolar pulsed field ablation (PFA) and radiofrequency energy delivery was recently launched. So far, the system was predominantly applied in general anaesthesia (GA), not in deep sedation.

Methods and results: Patients with symptomatic paroxysmal or persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) were enrolled, and pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) and ablation of additional linear lesion sets were performed either in GA or in deep sedation. Pulsed field ablation was applied exclusively to perform ipsilateral PVI. A total of 63 patients (35% female, 75% persistent AF, mean age 64 ± 9 years) were included in the analysis with 23 patients treated in GA and 40 patients in deep sedation. Acute efficacy was comparable in both groups with a PVI rate of 100%. Additional 74 lesion sets were performed in the total cohort. Mean procedure and lab occupancy time in the GA and deep sedation group was 96 ± 24 min vs. 100 ± 23 min (P = 0.52) and 165 ± 40 min vs. 131 ± 35 min (P = 0.0008). Mean dose area product was 489 (216;1093) vs. 452 (272;882) cGycm2 in the GA and the deep sedation group (P = 0.82). There was one conversion from deep sedation to GA. There were no map shifts observed in any group. Pericardial tamponade occurred in one patient of the deep sedation group.

Conclusion: The use of a novel ablation platform in conjunction with a lattice-tip catheter in deep sedation is feasible, effective, and associated with significantly shorter lab occupancy time when compared with GA.