Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38112746›Full record

ArticleClinical research in cardiology : official journal of the German Cardiac Society2025

Temperature to time Catch-Up: a novel procedural endpoint to predict durable pulmonary vein isolation after cryoballoon ablation of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Kevin Willy, Julian Wolfes, Patrick Müller, Christian Ellermann, Dirk Dechering, Philipp S Lange, Benjamin Rath, Florian Reinke, Florian Doldi, Fatih Güner and 5 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical research in cardiology : official journal of the German Cardiac Society, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Cardiac sarcoidosis in patients with recurrent ventricular arrhythmias refractory to endocardial ablation.Clinical research in cardiology : official journal of the German Cardiac Society · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Kevin Willy *Department of Cardiology II-Electrophysiology, University Hospital of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48419, Münster, Germany. kevin.willy@ukmuenster.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1259-3213
Julian Wolfes *Department of Cardiology II-Electrophysiology, University Hospital of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48419, Münster, Germany.
Patrick MüllerDepartment of Electrophysiology, Klinikum Vest Recklinghausen, Recklinghausen, Germany.
Christian EllermannDepartment of Cardiology II-Electrophysiology, University Hospital of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48419, Münster, Germany.
Dirk DecheringDepartment of Cardiology, Niels-Stensen-Kliniken Marienhospital Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany.
Philipp S LangeDepartment of Cardiology II-Electrophysiology, University Hospital of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48419, Münster, Germany.
Benjamin RathDepartment of Cardiology II-Electrophysiology, University Hospital of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48419, Münster, Germany.
Florian ReinkeDepartment of Cardiology II-Electrophysiology, University Hospital of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48419, Münster, Germany.
Florian DoldiDepartment of Cardiology II-Electrophysiology, University Hospital of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48419, Münster, Germany.
Fatih GünerDepartment of Cardiology II-Electrophysiology, University Hospital of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48419, Münster, Germany.
Julia KöbeDepartment of Cardiology II-Electrophysiology, University Hospital of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48419, Münster, Germany.
Patrick LeitzDepartment of Cardiology II-Electrophysiology, University Hospital of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48419, Münster, Germany.
Gerrit FrommeyerDepartment of Cardiology II-Electrophysiology, University Hospital of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48419, Münster, Germany.
Mikael Laredo *Department of Cardiology and Electrophysiology, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
Lars Eckardt *Department of Cardiology II-Electrophysiology, University Hospital of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48419, Münster, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCryoballoon ablation is a widely used single-shot technique for pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in the treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF). Procedural endpoints ensuring maximal PVI durability are important.

objectiveTo assess the performance of cryoablation procedural markers to predict long-term PVI.

methodsIn a single center, consecutive patients who underwent redo ablation with high-density mapping for symptomatic AF recurrence after cryoballoon ablation were included and cryoballoon procedural data were collected, including temperature values at 30 and 60 s, time to isolation, nadir temperature and the velocity of temperature decline estimated with the temperature/time catch-up point (T2T-Catch-Up) defined as positive when the freeze temperature in minus degree equals the time in seconds after cryoablation initiation (e.g. - 15 °C in the first 15 s of the ablation impulse).

results47 patients (62% male; 58.3 ± 11.2 years) were included. Overall, 38 (80.9%) patients had ≥ 1 reconnected PV. Among 186 PVs, 56 (30.1%; 1.2 per patient on average) were reconnected. Univariate analysis revealed T2T-Catch-Up in 103 (56%) and more frequent in durably isolated than in reconnected PVs (93 [72%] vs 10 [19%], p < 0.0001). Among binary endpoints, T2T-Catch-Up had the highest specificity (82%) and predictive value for durable PVI at redo ablation (90%). In multivariable analyses, absence of T2T-Catch-Up (Odds-ratio 0.12, 95% CI [0.05-0.31], p < 0.0001) and right superior PV (Odds-ratio 3.14, 95% CI [1.27-7.74], p = 0.01) were the only variables independently associated with PV reconnection.

conclusionT2T-Catch-Up, a new and simple cryoballoon procedural endpoint demonstrated excellent predictive value and strong statistical association with durable PVI.

Indexed as

Atrial FibrillationCryosurgeryHeart Conduction SystemPulmonary VeinsAgedFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansMaleMiddle AgedPredictive Value of TestsRecurrenceRetrospective StudiesTime FactorsTreatment OutcomeAblation parametersAtrial fibrillationCryoballoon ablationPulmonary vein isolationRecurrence

Identifiers

PMID38112746
PMCPMC11772506

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.