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Research Article: Single-catheter radiofrequency pulmonary vein isolation for atrial fibrillation: a comparative evaluation

Date Published: 2026-06-15

Abstract:
Circular mapping catheters (CMC) are used to confirm pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in radiofrequency (RF) ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF), but may be unnecessary in CLOSE-style point-by-point workflows. We evaluated whether omitting the CMC preserves efficacy and improves efficiency in first-time PVI. We conducted a single-center, hybrid prospective–retrospective comparison of consecutive first-time PVI cases. A CMC-guided cohort ( n =?81) underwent point-by-point RF PVI; operators were blinded to CMC electrograms during ablation and were unblinded after PVI had been verified with the ablation catheter. A subsequent CMC-free cohort ( n =?245) used ablation-catheter–only verification. The primary endpoint was 12-month freedom from atrial arrhythmia (?30?s) after a 90-day blanking period; Cox and negative binomial models were applied. Procedural metrics were secondary endpoints. CMC-free cases had shorter procedures [105 (90, 120) vs. 120 (110, 135)?min, p <?0.001], lower fluoroscopy [4 (3, 6) vs. 6 (5, 9)?min, p <?0.001], and lower radiation dose [150 (96, 254) vs. 220 (167, 399)?cGy·cm 2 , p <?0.001]. RF time and energy were reduced [2,083 (1,806, 2,493) vs. 2,343 (1,977, 2,611)?s, p =?0.026; 71,582 (60,527, 85,399) vs. 77,335 (68,009, 87,376)?J, p =?0.035]. Twelve-month efficacy was comparable (adjusted HR: 1.03, 95% CI: 0.58–1.84; p =?0.92); recurrences did not differ (adjusted IRR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.30–1.21; p =?0.16). On post-ablation unblinding in the CMC-guided arm, residual PV conduction was detected in 11/321 veins (3.4%). In CLOSE-style first-time RF PVI, a CMC-free, single-catheter workflow was associated with improved procedural efficiency and no significant difference in observed 12-month arrhythmia outcomes. These findings are hypothesis-generating. Prospective randomized studies are needed to confirm the safety and efficacy of this approach.

Introduction:
Circular mapping catheters (CMC) are used to confirm pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in radiofrequency (RF) ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF), but may be unnecessary in CLOSE-style point-by-point workflows. We evaluated whether omitting the CMC preserves efficacy and improves efficiency in first-time PVI.

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