Alternating current through the tissue creates friction on a molecular level. Increased intracellular temperature generates localized interstitial heating. At temperatures above 60°C, cellular proteins rapidly denature and coagulate, resulting in a lesion.
How it Works
The Cool-tip™ system’s generator feedback algorithm senses tissue impedance and automatically delivers the optimum amount of radiofrequency energy. Our unique patented electrode design minimizes tissue charring and allows for maximum current delivery, resulting in a larger ablation zone in less time.
The Cooling Effect
The electrode’s internal circulation of water cools the tissue adjacent to the exposed electrode, maintaining low impedance during the treatment cycle. Low impedance permits maximum energy deposition for a larger ablation volume.
CardioFocus (Marlboro, MA) recently conducted two “live cases” using its Endoscopic Ablation System—the first of which was a satellite transmission performed at Centro Cardiologico Monzino (Milan, Italy) and broadcast to the 16th Annual Boston Symposium on Atrial Fibrillation (Boston, MA). Several pioneers in the treatment of atrial fibrillation served as moderators for this educational presentation, providing perspective on ablation procedures designed to isolate pulmonary veins (PVs). The second live case was performed at St. Georg Hospital (Hamburg, Germany) by Prof. Karl-Heinz Kuck. Both cases demonstrate the continued interest of catheter ablation experts to gain a real-time view of the anatomy they are treating to enable durable PV isolation.
Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is one of the prominent causes of stroke, and its risk increases with age. We need to detect AFib correctly as early as possible to avoid medical disaster because it is likely to proceed into a more serious form in short time. If we can make a portable AFib monitoring system, it will be helpful to many old people because we cannot predict when a patient will have a spasm of AFib.
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