Study shows benefits of high dose treatment with HeartLight (CardioFocus) for patients with AF

New data demonstrates the benefits of high-dose laser ablation using the HeartLight endoscopic ablation system, from CardioFocus, compared to low-dose treatment in patients with Atrial Fibrillation. Using the HeartLight System, investigators in Frankfurt, Germany were able to achieve an acute pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) rate of 89% after an initial visually guided ablation circle and reported a long-term clinical success rate of 83% off antiarrhythmic drugs after a single procedure. The study involved 60 symptomatic, drug refractory AF patients between the ages of 18-70 who had never before had PVI. Patients were prospectively assigned to two groups, high-dose and low-dose, for PVI with the HeartLight System.

Acute PVI was achieved after a single visually guided circular lesion set in 89% and 69% of patients in the HD and LD groups, respectively. During a mean follow-up of 311 days, the AF recurrence rate was only 17% in the HD group while 40% in the LD group. In addition, it was found that HD ablation significantly reduced procedure times, by reducing the number of ablation lesions needed and lowering the need for gap mapping (128+17 vs. 154+38 min). Results were published in EP-Europace. See: "Energy titration strategies with the endoscopic ablation system: lessons from the high-dose vs. low-dose laser ablation study." Stefano Bordignon et al. Europace, online November 4, 2012 doi:10.1093/europace/eus352