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Esophageal Cooling During Radiofrequency Ablation: Can Opposite (Strategies) Attract?
  • Cory Tschabrunn,
  • Pasquale Santangeli
Cory Tschabrunn
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Corresponding Author:cory.tschabrunn@uphs.upenn.edu

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Pasquale Santangeli
Cleveland Clinic Foundation
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Abstract

Catheter ablation has become the standard of care for the management of antiarrhythmic drug-refractory atrial fibrillation (AF) in many patients. The cornerstone of AF ablation includes pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) and energy delivery can sometimes extend beyond the atrial myocardium and result in collateral damage to adjacent structures, include the esophagus.[1] While atrial esophageal fistula (AEF) is a generally a rare complication, there have been continued efforts aimed to reduce esophageal thermal injury during AF ablation. While emerging energy sources such as irreversible electroporation show exciting promise for selective, non-thermal targeting of myocardial tissue, safety and efficacy clinical trial evaluation is on-going.[2] Therefore, strategies that can prevent esophageal thermal injury without adversely impacting lesion formation using conventional ablation technologies are still needed.
19 Oct 2022Submitted to Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology
20 Oct 2022Submission Checks Completed
20 Oct 2022Assigned to Editor
20 Oct 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
21 Oct 2022Editorial Decision: Accept
Dec 2022Published in Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology volume 33 issue 12 on pages 2558-2559. 10.1111/jce.15718