Journal of cardiovascular electrophysiology
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J. Cardiovasc. Electrophysiol. · Jul 2012
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudySuperiority of gold versus platinum irrigated tip catheter ablation of the pulmonary veins and the cavotricuspid isthmus: a randomized study comparing tip temperatures and cooling flow requirements.
In order to optimize power delivery into the myocardium during radiofrequency ablation (RFA) without overheating the electrode tip, active cooling of the tip electrode as well as electrode tips made of gold have evolved. Recently, an externally irrigated gold tip electrode ablation catheter has been developed to combine the advantages of these 2 technologies. We sought to investigate the procedural parameters tip temperature, delivered power and cooling flow requirements of the irrigated gold tip catheter in comparison to the conventional irrigated platinum iridium (Pt) tip catheter in pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) and cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) ablation. ⋯ The irrigated gold tip electrode allows to deliver significantly more energy at a lower electrode tip temperature in RFA of PV and CTI in comparison to the irrigated Pt tip electrode. The required saline flow during CTI ablation is much lower than in Pt.