Linear Ablation Pen Calms Racing Heart

A new ablation pen forms long linear cardiac lesions on full-volume beating atria, promoting effective cardiac ablation.

The Coolrail linear ablation pen is designed to facilitate the creation of an expanded cardiac ablation lesion set during a minimally invasive off-pump procedure. The 30 millimeter length electrodes decreases technique and time associated with creating long linear lesions; the distal segment articulates +/-25 degrees to improve access to anatomical structures, and the malleable 7.5 cm distal shaft allows electrodes to be positioned for full contact in various port placements. The ablation pen works in conjunction with the ORLab system, a mapping, recording, and stimulating system which enables electrophysiologists and surgeons to confirm, in the operating room (OR), that the cardiac ablation lines being created are forming conduction block lines across the roof and trigone lesions. The Coolrail linear ablation pen and the ORLab system are products of Atricure (Cincinnati, OH, USA), and have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"We are encouraged by the results of the combined use of AtriCure's Coolrail pen and ORLab system to more effectively perform an expanded cardiac ablation procedure,” said Dr. James R. Edgerton, a cardiac surgeon from the Cardiopulmonary Research Science and Technology Institute (CRSTI, Dallas, TX, USA). "Based on our previous research, we anticipate that our investigation of these new products will demonstrate improved results in patients with persistent and long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation.”

"Based on our investigation and collaboration with Dr. Edgerton, I believe that AtriCure's minimally invasive ablation platform has the potential to become the standard of care for chronic atrial fibrillation patients,” said Dr. Warren M. Jackman, M.D., a prominent electrophysiologist and clinical director of the cardiac arrhythmia research institute at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC, Oklahoma City, USA) who developed the protocol used for mapping with the ORLab system.

Cardiac Catheter ablation is performed after an electrophysiology (EP) study, which can identify specific areas of heart tissue where the arrhythmia may start or where abnormal electrical pathways are located inside or outside the atrioventricular (AV) node. In the case of atrioventricular nodal reciprocating tachycardia (AVNRT), for example, ablation has been shown to be eliminated in 96% of cases.


Related Links:
Atricure
Cardiopulmonary Research Science and Technology Institute
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center