Ablación con catéter no guiada por fluoroscopia. Resultados de un registro prospectivo multicéntrico / Nonfluoroscopic catheter ablation. results from a prospective multicenter registry

Introducción y objetivos: La ablación con catéter sin guía fluoroscópica es factible en la mayoría de los casos. El objetivo de nuestro registro es evaluar la factibilidad y la seguridad de la ablación no guiada por fluoroscopia en varios centros españoles. Métodos: Once hospitales incluyeron prospectivamente a, al menos, 20 pacientes afectados de un sustrato arrítmico cuyo procedimiento de ablación, a juicio de cada operador, se podía abordar sin fluoroscopia durante todo el procedimiento. No se incluyó a pacientes portadores de dispositivos intracardiacos. Electrofisiólogos de plantilla, becarios y residentes participaron en cada procedimiento de forma habitual. Resultados: Se incluyó a un total de 247 pacientes (n = 247). Se realizó ablación en 235 casos (95,2%), y en 2 casos que no se incluyeron en el análisis la fluoroscopia se utilizó como primera intención. En el 99,15% (231/233) de los procedimientos analizados el sustrato arrítmico abordado se localizaba en cavidades derechas. Se requirió fluoroscopia en 24 (10,3%), se obtuvo éxito en el 96,4% de los procedimientos y hubo complicaciones graves en 2 pacientes (0,85%). Las variables relacionadas con la necesidad de fluoroscopia fueron el centro realizador (máximo, 33,3%; mínimo, 0; p = 0,001) y el fracaso del procedimiento (el 13 frente al 2,4%; p < 0,05). Conclusiones: El registro multicéntrico muestra que la ablación sin escopia de sustratos localizados en cavidades derechas es factible en la mayoría de los procedimientos. Se necesitan estudios aleatorizados para confirmar su seguridad. La necesidad de fluoroscopia es mayor en los procedimientos sin éxito y es variable en los centros realizadores (AU)

Introduction and objectives: Nonfluoroscopic catheter ablation is feasible in most procedures. The aim of our registry was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of a zero-fluoroscopic approach to catheter ablation in several Spanish centers. Methods: Eleven centers prospectively included a minimum of 20 patients. Patients with an arrhythmic substrate deemed suitable by the operator for a zero-fluoroscopic approach throughout the procedure were recruited. Patients with intracardiac devices were not included. Attending electrophysiologists, fellows, and resident physicians participated in each procedure, as in usual care. Results: The study included 247 patients. Ablation was performed in 235 patients (95.2%). In 2 patients, who were not included in the analysis, fluoroscopy was performed as the first-line treatment. The arrhythmic substrate was located in the right chambers in most of the procedures (231 of 233 [99.15%]). Fluoroscopy was used in 24 procedures (10.3%). Catheter ablation was successful in 96.4% of the procedures and severe complications occurred in 2 patients (0.85%). Two variables were related to the need for fluoroscopy: the performing center (minimum 0% vs maximum 30.3%; P = .001) and procedural failure (13% vs 2.4%; P < .05). Conclusions: The Spanish multicenter registry reveals that a zero-fluoroscopic approach is feasible in most right-sided catheter ablation procedures. Randomized trials are necessary to confirm the safety of this approach. The need for fluoroscopy was related to procedural failure, with significant differences among performing centers (AU)

Nonfluoroscopic Catheter Ablation. Results From a Prospective Multicenter Registry.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Nonfluoroscopic catheter ablation is feasible in most procedures. The aim of our registry was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of a zero-fluoroscopic approach to catheter ablation in several Spanish centers. METHODS: Eleven centers prospectively included a minimum of 20 patients. Patients with an arrhythmic substrate deemed suitable by the operator for a zero-fluoroscopic approach throughout the procedure were recruited. Patients with intracardiac devices were not included. Attending electrophysiologists, fellows, and resident physicians participated in each procedure, as in usual care. RESULTS: The study included 247 patients. Ablation was performed in 235 patients (95.2%). In 2 patients, who were not included in the analysis, fluoroscopy was performed as the first-line treatment. The arrhythmic substrate was located in the right chambers in most of the procedures (231 of 233 [99.15%]). Fluoroscopy was used in 24 procedures (10.3%). Catheter ablation was successful in 96.4% of the procedures and severe complications occurred in 2 patients (0.85%). Two variables were related to the need for fluoroscopy: the performing center (minimum 0% vs maximum 30.3%; P=.001) and procedural failure (13% vs 2.4%; P<.05). CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish multicenter registry reveals that a zero-fluoroscopic approach is feasible in most right-sided catheter ablation procedures. Randomized trials are necessary to confirm the safety of this approach. The need for fluoroscopy was related to procedural failure, with significant differences among performing centers.

Detection of ventricular fibrillation in the presence of cardiopulmonary resuscitation artefacts.

Providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to a patient in cardiac arrest introduces artefacts into the electrocardiogram (ECG), corrupting the diagnosis of the underlying heart rhythm. CPR must therefore be discontinued for reliable shock advice analysis by an automated external defibrillator (AED). Detection of ventricular fibrillation (VF) during CPR would enable CPR to continue during AED rhythm analysis, thereby increasing the likelihood of resuscitation success. This study presents a new adaptive filtering method to clean the ECG. The approach consists of a filter that adapts its characteristics to the spectral content of the signal exclusively using the surface ECG that commercial AEDs capture through standard patches. A set of 200 VF and 25 CPR artefact samples collected from real out-of-hospital interventions were used to test the method. The performance of a shock advice algorithm was evaluated before and after artefact removal. CPR artefacts were added to the ECG signals and four degrees of corruption were tested. Mean sensitivities of 97.83%, 98.27%, 98.32% and 98.02% were achieved, producing sensitivity increases of 28.44%, 49.75%, 59.10% and 64.25%, respectively, sufficient for ECG analysis during CPR. Although satisfactory and encouraging sensitivity values have been obtained, further clinical and experimental investigation is required in order to integrate this type of artefact suppressing algorithm in current AEDs.