Ultra-Low Temperature Cryoablation for Atrial Fibrillation: Primary Outcomes for Efficacy and Safety
Tom De Potter, M N Klaver, Alex Babkin, Konstantinos Iliodromitis, Mélèze Hocini, Jim Cox, Lucas V.A. Boersma
Abstract
Ultra-low temperature cryoablation (ULTC) is a novel ablation modality aiming to combine the effectiveness of surgical lesion delivery with percutaneous safety to improve outcomes in catheter ablations of atrial fibrillation, particularly in persistent AF (PsAF). In the Cryocure-2 study (NCT02839304) 78 patients (56.4% PsAF) received ULTC pulmonary vein isolation plus posterior wall ablation, and linear left and right atrial lesions as needed. The safety and acute success of ULTC appear consistent with current catheter ablation techniques and, together with Kaplan-Meier 85.9% 1-year freedom from AF observed in Cryocure-2 PsAF patients, warrant further evaluation in larger clinical trials, which are currently ongoing.