Europace Advance Access originally published online on February 26, 2009
Europace 2009 11(5):565-570; doi:10.1093/europace/eup040
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Atrial Fibrillation Registry
In vitro comparison of platinum–iridium and gold tip electrodes: lesion depth in 4 mm, 8 mm, and irrigated-tip radiofrequency ablation catheters
1 Department of Medicine-Cardiology, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany; 2 Department of Medicine II, Johannes Gutenberg–University, Langenbeckstraße 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany; 3 Biotronik GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin, Woermannkehre 1, 12359 Berlin, Germany
Aims: We compared a newly developed irrigated gold tip electrode ablation catheter and a gold tip 4 and 8 mm catheter with the corresponding platinum–iridium (Pt) tip catheters in an in vitro setting.
Methods and results: In a flow chamber simulating physiological flow conditions, radiofrequency catheter ablation was performed on tissue samples of porcine endomyocardium and liver. Lesion depth, energy and temperature delivery, and popping frequency were determined. Two hundred and fifty-three ablations were conducted. Four and eight millimetre, gold tip electrode catheters produced significantly deeper lesions compared with the Pt tip electrode (liver 4 mm: 4.67 ± 1.7 vs. 2.9 ± 1.0 mm, P < 0.0001; endomyocardium 4 mm: 3.88 ± 1.1 vs. 2.81 ± 0.7 mm, P < 0.001; liver 8 mm: 3.98 ± 1.0 vs. 2.03 ± 1.1 mm, P < 0.001; endomyocardium 8 mm: 4.00 ± 0.9 vs. 3.39 ± 0.8 mm, P < 0.001) and correlated with the amount of energy delivery. Popping frequency was significantly higher in gold tip electrodes. In irrigated tip electrodes, there was no difference in the lesion depth comparing gold with Pt (liver: 5.18 ± 0.7 vs. 5.01 ± 0.7 mm, P = ns; endomyocardium: 4.89 ± 0.7 vs. 4.78 ± 0.8 mm, P = ns). There was a trend towards less popping in the gold tip electrode.
Conclusion: Both 4 and 8 mm not-irrigated gold tip catheters produced deeper lesions than the corresponding Pt tip catheter. In irrigated tip catheters, gold and Pt tip material did not show differences in the lesion depth.
Key Words: Radiofrequency ablation, Gold tip electrode, Platinum–iridium tip electrode, Irrigated tip catheter, Cooled tip catheter, Lesion depth
* Corresponding author. Tel: +49 228 287 5507, Fax: +49 228 287 1559, Email: markus.linhart{at}ukb.uni-bonn.de
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Manuscript submitted 18 October 2008. Accepted after revision 12 January 2009.
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