Safety and Efficacy of Pulmonary Vein Isolation Using Cryoballoon Ablation for Paroxysmal and Persistent Atrial Fibrillation

Methods: We reviewed the procedure reports for 45 patients who had a repeat PVI, having previously undergone this procedure using cryoballoon ablation. Results: From the initial cryoballoon cohort, 5/50 (10%) patients initially treated with the 23mm cyroballoon went on to have a repeat procedure and this was 40/150 (26.7%) for those treated with the 28mm cryoballoon (p= 0.01). In eight patients the exact region of pulmonary vein reconnection could not be obtained from the procedure report. Re-conduction was seen in the RIPV in 25 patients, the RSPV in 17 patients, the LIPV in 16 patients and in the LSPV in 18 patients (p=NS). By dividing each vein into eight segments in the anatomical position, the different breakthrough regions in each vein are shown as a percentage below: Vein Inferior Inf-post Inf-ant Posterior Anterior Superior Sup-post Sup-ant RIPV 62% 9.5% 4.8% 9.5% 9.5% 4.8% – – RSPV 35.8% – – 7.1% 28.8% 21.4% – – LIPV 63.6% 9.1% 9.1% 18.1% – – – – LSPV 71.4% – – 7.1% 21.4% – – – There was a statistically significant difference between regions of vein re-conduction in the table above (p 6months currently available for 46 de novo patients (mean 12.6, range 6–24) – 52% paroxysmal, 48% non-paroxysmal. Single procedure drug-free efficacy was 88% (P) and 73% (NP), rising to 96% and 86% with a mean of 1.13 and 1.18 procedures/patient, respectively. Conclusion:AF ablation using the Hansen Robotic System is associated with high acute procedural efficacy and low complication rate. Medium term follow up data are consistent with/potentially superior to previously published data. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.hlc.2012.05.343