Catheter Contact-Force Control During Cardiac Ablation Therapy: 

In Vivo Evaluation

Percutaneous radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation is a minimally invasive, fluoroscopically-guided procedure, which has become the established therapeutic modality for treating patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The challenge to create durable transmural lesions around the ostia of the pulmonary veins (PV) remains, as 50% of patients with persistent AF require multiple treatments due to AF recurrence post-ablation. To address the problem of varying contact force during lesion formation, a Catheter Contact-Force Controller (CCFC) will be developed and tested. The CCFC is a hand-held electromechanical device that monitors catheter-tissue CF and autonomously adjusts the position of an ablation catheter within a steerable sheath (a tubular catheter introducer).