Irrigated and Cooled-Tip Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation




Abstract


In animal experiments, cooled ablation overcomes the limitations of standard radiofrequency (RF) delivery by cooling the catheter tip and preventing an impedance rise, thus allowing higher power delivery and resulting in deeper and larger lesions. In the clinical setting, efficacy of cooled-tip RF ablation is comparable to or better than conventional RF ablation for the catheter-based treatment of recurrent atrioventricular reentrant arrhythmias, reentrant atrial flutters, atrial fibrillation, and ventricular tachycardias. Temperature monitoring is less reliable for cooled-tip than noncooled-tip RF ablation. Other monitoring parameters, such as impedance, power, and contact force, during RF ablation are important. The safety profile of cooled-tip RF ablation is comparable to conventional RF ablation. Further developments in catheter design are targeting real-time assessment of ablation lesion formation and effectiveness.




Keywords

arrhythmias, cooled, impedance, irrigated tip, power, radiofrequency ablation

 




Key Points





  • In animal experiments, cooled ablation overcomes the limitations of standard radiofrequency (RF) delivery by cooling the catheter tip and preventing an impedance rise, thus allowing higher power delivery and resulting in deeper and larger lesions.



  • In the clinical setting, efficacy of cooled-tip RF ablation is comparable to or better than conventional RF ablation for the catheter-based treatment of recurrent atrioventricular reentrant arrhythmias, reentrant atrial flutters, atrial fibrillation, and ventricular tachycardias.



  • Temperature monitoring is less reliable for cooled-tip than noncooled-tip RF ablation. Other monitoring parameters, such as impedance, power, and contact force, during RF ablation are important.



  • The safety profile of cooled-tip RF ablation is comparable to conventional RF ablation.



  • Further developments in catheter design are targeting real-time assessment of ablation lesion formation and effectiveness. There will be more widespread use of irrigated tip and contact force sensor to enhance efficacy and safety of RF ablation.



Radiofrequency (RF) ablation has become the standard of therapy for supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), including atrial fibrillation (AF), and ventricular tachycardias (VTs). More recently, RF ablation has also been used increasingly for the treatment of more complicated arrhythmias, particularly VT associated with structural heart disease. Although the results are promising, RF current delivered through a standard 7 F, 4-mm-tip electrode catheter is limited to ablation of arrhythmogenic tissue located within a few millimeters of the ablation electrode. In 1% to 10% of patients with accessory pathways and in 30% to 50% of patients with nonidiopathic VT, the arrhythmogenic tissue cannot be destroyed using a conventional ablation catheter. The overall success rate in these cases may be improved using alternative technologies for RF application that increase lesion size and depth.


Reducing the temperature of the ablation catheter tip has proven to be a solution for increasing the duration and power of RF application, decreasing the impedance rise and coagulum formation, and thereby developing a larger and deeper lesion. With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approving the use of several irrigated-tip ablation catheters in the past few years, there have been significantly increasing uses of this kind of catheter to ablate various supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias. The aim of this chapter is to review current understanding of the mechanism of irrigated-tip and cooled-tip catheter ablation, as well as the results of animal studies and clinical trials that have used this technology.




Biophysics of Cool Radiofrequency Ablation


During RF application, delivery of RF current through the catheter tip results in a shell of resistive heating, which serves as a heat source that conducts heat to the myocardium ( Fig. 3.1 ). The shell of resistive heating is thin and within a few millimeters of diameter and is only somewhat greater than the diameter of the electrode tip. Conductive heat is thought to be responsible for thermal injury several millimeters away. For any given electrode size and tissue contact area, RF lesion size is a function of RF power level and exposure time. At higher power, however, the exposure time is frequently limited by an impedance rise that occurs when the temperature at the electrode–tissue interface reaches 100°C, because tissue desiccation and steam and coagulum formation occur at this temperature. The impedance rise limits the duration of RF current delivery, the total amount of energy delivered, and the size of the lesion generated. Please refer to Chapters 1 and 2 for details.




Fig. 3.1


Schematic drawing of radiofrequency catheter ablation on the endocardium demonstrating zones of resistive and conductive heating and convective heat loss into the blood pool and coronary arteries. Superficial myocardium near the catheter is ablated by resistive heating, and deeper myocardium is heated by conductive heating.

From EP Lab Digest. With permission.


Although currently used temperature-controlled RF delivery systems are able to minimize the incidence of coagulum formation and impedance rise, the power applied is usually decreased and the lesion size is limited. During temperature-controlled RF ablation, the tip temperature, tissue temperature, and lesion size are affected by the electrode–tissue contact in addition to the cooling effects resulting from blood flow. With good contact between catheter tip and tissue and low cooling of the catheter tip, the target temperature can be reached with little power, resulting in fairly small lesions even though a high tip temperature is being measured. By contrast, a low tip temperature can be caused by a high level of convective cooling, which results in higher power consumption to reach the target temperature, yielding a relatively larger lesion.


Two methods have been used to cool the catheter tip, prevent the impedance rise, and maximize power delivery. In one approach, larger ablation electrodes (8 F, 8–10 mm in length) are used. The larger electrode–tissue contact area results in a greater volume of direct resistive heating. In addition, the larger electrode surface area exposed to blood results in greater convective cooling of the electrode by the blood. This cooling effect helps to prevent an impedance rise, allowing longer application of RF current at higher power, which produces a larger and deeper lesion.


An alternative approach described by Wittkampf and coworkers is to irrigate the ablation electrode with saline to cool down the electrode–tissue interface temperature and prevent an impedance rise. This approach allows cooler saline to bathe the ablation electrode internally or externally, dissipating heat generated during RF application ( Fig. 3.2 ). It decreases the electrode–myocardial interface temperature and allows for a larger amount of RF current to be passed before heating of tissue that results in the development of impedance rises and pops. Compared with conventional RF application, cooled ablation allows passage of both higher powers and longer durations of RF current with less likelihood of impedance rises. In addition, because convective cooling from the bloodstream is not required, an irrigated electrode may be capable of delivering higher RF power at sites of low blood flow, such as within the ventricular trabecular crevasse.




Fig. 3.2


A, Relationship between lesion volume and superfusate flow rate over cooled-tip (irrigated) or large-tip (10 mm) electrodes in isolated porcine ventricular tissue. The flow rate of 3 L per minute corresponded to a flow velocity of 15.5 cm per second. With increasing flow rate, larger lesions could be produced with the large-tip catheter in temperature-control mode (65°C to 70°C). The increased lesion size was based on the ability to deliver more power before reaching target electrode temperature (see panel B). For the irrigated electrode, there was no increase in lesion volume. B, Average power delivered versus superfusate flow rate over the irrigated- or large-tip electrodes. No further power could be delivered to the irrigated electrode with increasing superfusate flow. For the large-tip electrode, increased flow rate provided incrementally more electrode cooling and allowed more power delivery. This resulted in larger lesion sizes for the large-tip electrode. C, Current shunting with large-tip ablation catheter. Theoretical ablations with 4-mm (left) and 8-mm (right) catheters are shown. The current path for each electrode comprises the tissue resistance (165 Ω) and blood pool resistance (varies with electrode area) in parallel and the resistance to the skin electrode in series. Fifty watts of power is delivered to each electrode. Because the electrode diameter is the same for each catheter, in this orientation the tissue resistances to each electrode are the same. Because the 8-mm electrode places greater surface area in contact with the blood pool, the blood pool resistance is lower than for the 4-mm electrode. This shunts current away from the tissue (2 W vs. 5 W delivered to tissue in this scenario) despite a lower total resistance (80 W vs. 100 W). The result is a smaller lesion for the 8-mm electrode despite identical power deliveries to the catheters. NS, Not significant.

A and B, From Pilcher TA, Sanford AL, Saul P, Dieter Haemmerich D. Convective cooling effect on cooled-tip catheter compared to large-tip catheter radiofrequency ablation. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol . 2006;29:1368-1374. With permission.


During cooled ablation, as the RF current is passed through the electrode to the myocardium, resistive heating still occurs at the electrode–myocardial interface. However, unlike with standard RF application, the area of maximum temperature with cooled ablation is within the myocardium, rather than at the electrode–myocardial interface. Nakagawa et al. demonstrated that the maximum temperature generated by cooled RF application will be several millimeters away from the electrode–myocardial interface as a result of active electrode cooling. In a study by Dorwarth and coworkers, the hottest point extended from the electrode surface to 3.2 to 3.6 mm within the myocardium, from the electrode–tissue interface for cooled ablation modeled with a catheter and cooled by internal perfusion of saline. Therefore tissue temperature generated during cooled RF ablation increases from the electrode tip to a maximum temperature a couple of millimeters within the myocardium. The current density and the width of the shell of resistive heating are increased around the electrode–myocardial interface, resulting in a larger effective radiant surface diameter and larger lesion depth, width, and volume.


Because the catheter tip is cooled actively, the temperature at the tip–tissue interface during cooled RF application is unreliable as a marker for determining the duration of RF application. Limiting tip temperature to less than 100°C prevents almost all impedance rises with conventional RF application. However, because the maximum tissue temperature is several millimeters away from the catheter tip during cooled ablation, the maximum tissue temperature may not be accurately monitored by a tip thermistor or thermocouple. Although RF current is increased with cooled RF application, intramyocardial tissues could be heated to 100°C, which would result in intramyocardial steam and crater formation, possibly associated with dissection, perforation, and thrombus formation. The maximum temperature may now be intramyocardial and surrounded by cooler areas of tissue. Some animal studies suggest that the optimal power required to avoid large craters are no greater than 50 W for an internally cooled catheter, or 20 W for an irrigated catheter. Wharton and coworkers demonstrated that impedance rises may be minimized to less than 6.3% if tip temperatures are maintained at less than 45°C. Nibley and coworkers also showed that a constantly maintained power of 50 W for the internally cooled catheter tip may deliver the maximum energy. Further studies are needed to expand these observations over a range of catheter types and clinical conditions to better understand how to limit power in cooled RF ablation in humans to prevent crater formation.




Design of Irrigated- and Cool-Tip Radiofrequency Catheters


Cooling of the catheter tip during RF ablation is achieved by circulating saline through or around the tip of the ablation catheter while RF current is being delivered. In general, there are two types of irrigation catheters. The first type is the closed-loop irrigation catheter, which has an internal thermocouple and continuously circulates saline within the electrode tip, internally cooling the electrode tip. The second type is the open-irrigation catheter (OIC), which has an internal thermocouple and multiple irrigation holes located around the electrode, through which the saline is continuously flushed, providing both internal and external cooling. Four different cooled catheters have been designed as shown in Fig. 3.3 . The internally cooled catheter (Boston Scientific Electrophysiology, San Jose, CA) has an internally cooled (or chilled) tip electrode that is perfused with room-temperature saline ( Fig. 3.4A ). With this closed-loop system, saline perfuses the tip of the catheter through a conduit in the catheter shaft and returns back through a second conduit in the catheter. Saline is not infused into the body (see Fig. 3.4 ).




Fig. 3.3


Schematic drawings of four different methods of cooling: A, closed-system irrigation; B, opened showerhead or sprinkler type; C, external sheath irrigation; and D, porous irrigated-tip catheter.

From EP Lab Digest. With permission.



Fig. 3.4


A, Schematic drawing of the Chilli internally cooled ablation catheter. B, Schematic drawing of the open-system irrigation ThermoCool ablation catheter showing location of irrigation ducts in the distal electrode. The pattern of irrigation fluid dispersion is shown at lower right.

A, Courtesy Boston Scientific Electrophysiology, San Jose, CA. B, Courtesy Biosense Webster, Diamond Bar, CA.


One of the other designs investigated in vivo and in vitro is a screw-tip needle electrode, through which saline and contrast material could be infused during RF ablation. This specially designed electrode tip has been demonstrated to create a larger lesion in canines. A newly developed long irrigated ablation catheter (tripolar; 7 F; length of each electrode, 22 mm; interelectrode distance, 2 mm; helix radius, 9 and 10 mm) covered by a porous membrane to provide continuous irrigation could create longer and deeper lesions in vivo.


The Chilli cooled RF ablation system (Boston Scientific Electrophysiology; see Fig. 3.4 ) is approved by the FDA for use in patients with nonidiopathic VT. In clinical applications, cooling is achieved by pumping saline (0.6 mL per second) to the tip of the catheter during RF application. RF energy is titrated to achieve an electrode temperature between 40°C and 50°C, to a maximum of 50 W.


The other cooled RF ablation systems that are available are showerhead-type irrigated-tip catheter (Biosense Webster, Diamond Bar, CA and St. Jude Medical, St. Paul, MN). The ThermoCool ablation catheter (Biosense Webster; Fig. 3.5 ) is also approved by the FDA for AF ablation. Cooling is achieved with saline infused at a rate of 17 or 34 mL per minute during RF application and 2 mL per minute during all other times. A new addition is the Therapy Cool Path ablation catheter from St. Jude Medical, which is a 4-mm externally irrigated ablation catheter with six equidistant ports with a nominal flow rate of 2 and 13 mL per minute during ablation ( Fig. 3.6A ). The maximum power setting is 50 W, and it has thermocouple temperature monitoring at the maximum set temperature of 50°C. The Therapy Cool Path Duo (St. Jude Medical) irrigated-tip ablation catheter will be introduced soon with two sets of six ports evenly distributed on the distal and proximal portion of the tip electrode ( Fig. 3.6B ).




Fig. 3.5


The ThermoCool open irrigated ablation catheter.

Courtesy Biosense Webster, Diamond Bar, CA.



Fig. 3.6


A, The Therapy Cool Path St. Jude 7 F 4-mm-tip ablation catheter with six ports for irrigation. B, The Therapy Cool Path Duo St. Jude ablation catheter tip with two sets of six ports evenly distributed. RF, Radiofrequency.


Yokoyama and coworkers found that open-irrigation systems resulted in greater interface cooling with lower interface temperatures and lower incidences of both thrombus formation and steam pops than seen with closed-loop irrigated cooled-tip catheters.




Animal Studies


Several authors have compared cooled RF catheter ablation with conventional ablation using animal models.


Nakagawa and coworkers evaluated cooled ablation. They compared conventional RF current delivery without irrigation with saline irrigation through the catheter lumen and ablation electrode at 20 mL per minute in a canine thigh muscle preparation. In the saline irrigation group despite the tip-electrode temperature not exceeding 48°C and electrode–tissue interface temperature not exceeding 80°C, the largest and deepest lesions (9.9 and 14.3 mm, respectively) were noted. They also demonstrated that the maximum tissue temperature during cooled ablation of 94.7°C occurred 3.5 mm from the tip of the electrode as opposed to conventional ablation where maximum temperatures were recorded at the electrode–tissue interface ( Fig. 3.7 ). Mittleman and coworkers also demonstrated that the use of a saline-irrigated luminal electrode with an end hole and two side holes (Bard Electrophysiology, Haverhill, MA) in canine myocardium in vivo at 10 to 20 W produced significantly larger lesions than a standard catheter ( Figs. 3.8 and 3.9 ). Dorwarth and coworkers compared three different actively cooled systems (showerhead electrode tip, porous metal tip, and internally cooled system) with standard 4- and 8-mm ablation catheters in isolated porcine myocardium. They found that the externally cooled systems had the largest lesion depth and diameter followed by the internally cooled system, which had a similar lesion depth with a slightly smaller diameter. The 8-mm tip had a similar lesion diameter with smaller depth. However, there were no differences in lesion volumes between the three cooled and the 8-mm ablation catheters. Maximum lesion volume was induced at a power setting of 30 W for the two open-irrigated systems and 20 W for the internally cooled catheter.




Fig. 3.7


Diagram of radiofrequency (RF) lesion dimensions for the three groups of ablation conditions studied. Values are expressed in millimeters (mean ± standard deviation). A indicates maximal lesion depth; B, maximal lesion diameter; C, depth at maximal lesion diameter; and D, lesion surface diameter. Lesion volume was calculated using the formula for an oblate ellipsoid, by subtracting the volume of the missing cap (hatched area).

From Nakagawa H, Yamanashi SW, Pitha JV, et al. Comparison of in vivo tissue temperature profile and lesion geometry for radiofrequency ablation with a saline-irrigated electrode versus temperature control in a canine thigh muscle preparation. Circulation . 1995;91:2264-2273. With permission.



Fig. 3.8


Dimensions of radiofrequency (RF) lesions (mean ± standard deviation) created at two sets of energy levels (10 W × 60 seconds and 20 W × 60 seconds). REG-C is a standard electrode catheter; LUM-C is a saline-infused electrode catheter; ∗ P < .001 versus standard catheter.

From Mittleman RS, Huang SKS, De Guzman WT, et al. Use of the saline infusion electrode catheter for improved energy delivery and increased lesion size in radiofrequency catheter ablation. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol . 1995;18:1022-1027. With permission.



Fig. 3.9


Examples of lesion created with either a saline-infused catheter (left) or a standard catheter (right) , in the anterior and posterior wall of the left ventricle, respectively. The lesion on the left is bigger and exhibits a larger area of pitting and more extensive necrosis. The energy level for both lesions was 20 W for 60 seconds. Ruler divisions are at l-mm intervals.

From Mittleman RS, Huang SKS, De Guzman WT, et al. Use of the saline infusion electrode catheter for improved energy delivery and increased lesion size in radiofrequency catheter ablation. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol . 1995;18:1022-1027. With permission.


Larger electrode diameter or length during conventional RF application may generate larger lesions. However, Nakagawa and coworkers demonstrated an inverse relationship between electrode size and lesion size during RF application with actively cooling electrode perpendicular to the tissue. A 2-mm electrode delivered 49% more heating power than a 5-mm electrode; the latter lost more current to the surrounding blood, decreasing the effectiveness of the RF current to the targeted region. In the perpendicular electrode–tissue orientation, RF applications at 50 W resulted in lower power with the 2-mm electrode compared with the 5-mm electrode (26 vs. 36 W, respectively), but higher tissue temperature, larger lesion depth (8.0 vs. 5.4 mm), and greater diameter (12.4 vs. 8.4 mm). With the electrode parallel to the tissue, the overall power was lower with the 2-mm electrode (25 vs. 33 W), but tissue temperatures were higher and lesions were deeper (7.3 vs. 6.9 mm) with similar lesion diameters for both electrodes. Therefore if the cooling is adequate, the smaller actively cooled electrode transmitted a greater fraction of the RF power to the tissue and resulted in higher tissue temperatures and larger lesions.


Flow rates of saline infusion may also affect the size of a lesion created by cooled ablation. A higher flow rate might have a greater cooling effect on the catheter tip, which could potentially generate a larger lesion, while wasting more RF current as a result of overcooling. By contrast, a lower flow rate might result in a lesion size approaching that of conventional RF ablation. Weiss and coworkers compared three flow rates (5, 10, and 20 mL per minute) on sheep thigh muscle preparations ( Table 3.1 ). There were no differences in tip temperature or thrombus formation or power delivery to deeper tissues. The higher flow rate (20 mL per minute), however, did result in a smaller surface diameter lesion.



TABLE 3.1

Temperatures During Radiofrequency Application With Various Irrigation Flow Rates



















































Parameters of Radiofrequency Application Irrigation Flow Rate (mL per minute)
5 ( n = 15) 10 ( n = 14) 20 ( n = 14)
Total power 929 ± 12 939 ± 12 935 ± 5
Maximum impedance (W) 133 ± 13 125 ± 12 113 ± 12
Maximum catheter-tip temperature (°C) 43 ± 3 39 ± 3 37 ± 3
Maximum tissue temperature (°C)



  • At 3.5 mm

79 ± 8 a 67 ± 5 57 ± 4



  • At 7.0 mm

57 ± 4 67 ± 5 58 ± 6
Audible pops 0 0 0
Thrombus formation 0 0 0

From Weiss C, Antz M, Eick O, et al. Radiofrequency catheter ablation using cooled electrodes: impact of irrigation flow rate and catheter contact pressure on lesion dimensions. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol . 2002;25:463-469. With permission.

a P < .01 versus 10 and 20 mL per minute. All radiofrequency applications were achieved with a 30 W power output and a 30 second pulse duration.



Temperature monitoring during cooled RF application may be an unreliable marker because the actual surface temperature is underestimated. In the design of a longer catheter tip (6–10 mm) for increased convective cooling of the catheter tip, Petersen and coworkers found a negative correlation between tip temperature reached and lesion volume for applications in which maximum generator output was not achieved, whereas the delivered power and lesion volume correlated positively. They also directly examined the tissue temperature and lesion volumes formed by a showerhead-type cooled tip in the setting of either temperature control or power control. Power-controlled RF ablation at 40 W generated lesions that were similar to those achieved with temperature control at both 80°C and 70°C, as opposed to 60°C at which the lesions were significantly smaller. Importantly, positive correlations between lesion volume and real tissue temperature did not appear at the peak electrode-tip temperature.


For monitoring internal tissue temperatures, Thiagalingam and coworkers designed an intramural needle ablation catheter with an internally cooled 1.1-mm diameter straight needle that could be advanced up to 12 mm into the myocardium. The catheter could create significantly deeper and more transmural ablation lesions than a conventional irrigated-tip catheter (5-mm electrode; ThermoCool D curve system, Biosense Webster; Table 3.2 ).



TABLE 3.2

Comparison of Standard, Irrigated-, and Large-Tip Ablation Catheters












































Standard Catheter Irrigated Catheter Large-Tip Catheter
Electrode length 4–5 mm 3.5–4 mm 6–10 mm
Power delivery Up to 50 W Up to 50 W Up to 150 W
Power titration Temperature control Power control monitoring temperature and impedance Usually temperature control monitoring impedance ± microbubble formation
Lesion size limited by Electrode temperature and impedance rise Power setting Electrode temperature, current shunting, impedance rise
Coagulum risk Present Low (especially open irrigation) Present (possibly highest)
Steam pop risk Low Present Present
Typical uses Atrioventricular node reentry
Accessory pathways
Atrial tachycardias
Ventricular tachycardia with normal heart
Atrioventricular junctional ablation
Ventricular tachycardias with structural heart disease
Atrial flutter
Atrial fibrillation
Coronary sinus ablation
Epicardial ablation
Atrial flutter
Possibly atrial fibrillation
Possibly epicardial ablation

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Feb 21, 2019 | Posted by in CARDIOLOGY | Comments Off on Irrigated and Cooled-Tip Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation

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