Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38204461›Full record

ArticleHeart rhythm O22023

Safety and effectiveness of the first contact force ablation catheter with a flexible tip.

Devi Nair, Martin Martinek, B Judson Colley, Sri Sundaram, Ramesh Hariharan, Gustavo Morales, Philipp Sommer, Stewart Healy, Usman Siddiqui, Douglas Gibson and 3 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Heart rhythm O2, 2023. 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
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 23% of its field
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, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Controversy: pulsed field ablation is the standard technique for all the candidates for atrial fibrillation ablation.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2025
    Review
  3. 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

13 authors at 12 institutions in 4 countries.

Devi NairSt. Bernard's Medical Center, Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Martin MartinekCardiology, Angiology, and Intensive Care Medicine, Ordensklinikum Linz Elisabethinen, Linz, Austria.
B Judson ColleyJackson Heart Clinic, Jackson, Mississippi.
Sri SundaramSouth Denver Cardiology Associates PC, Denver, Colorado.
Ramesh HariharanUniversity of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas.
Gustavo MoralesAffinity Cardiovascular Specialists, Birmingham, Alabama.
Philipp SommerClinic for Electrophysiology, Herz- und Diabeteszentrum NRW, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany.
Stewart HealyMonash Medical Centre, Melbourne, Australia.
Usman SiddiquiAdvent Health Orlando, Orlando, Florida.
Douglas GibsonScripps Health, San Diego, California.
Kristina ChapmanAbbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, Illinois.
Anne SarverAbbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, Illinois.
Monica LoArkanasas Heart Hospital, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Abbott Fund · USAdventHealth Orlando · USArkansas Biosciences Institute · USArkansas Heart Hospital · USColorado Kidney Care · USHeart and Diabetes Center North Rhine-Westphalia · DEJackson Memorial Hospital · USKrankenhaus der Elisabethinen · ATMonash Medical Centre · AURetina Specialists · USScripps Health · USThe University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Catheter ablation is an established therapy for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). The TactiFlex Ablation Catheter, Sensor Enabled (TactiFlex SE) is a next-generation radiofrequency ablation catheter incorporating fiber optics-based contact force-sensing technology with a flexible, laser-cut tip. Objective: The study sought to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the TactiFlex SE ablation catheter for treatment of drug-refractory PAF. Methods: The TactiFlex AF investigational device exemption was a prospective, nonrandomized, multicenter clinical study. Enrollment began on June 26, 2020 and completed June 18, 2021. Subjects with PAF underwent de novo pulmonary vein isolation and, if indicated, ablation for typical atrial flutter. Subjects were followed for 12 months. Results: Of the 355 subjects enrolled at 37 sites worldwide, 334 underwent ablation with the TactiFlex SE catheter. The Kaplan-Meier estimate of 12-month freedom from AF/atrial flutter (AFL)/atrial tachycardia recurrence was 72.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 95% CI 67.2%-77.8%) and clinical success was 83.6% (95% CI 95% CI 78.1%-87.2%). As-treated analyses compared subjects treated at high power (left atrium time-averaged power setting 40-50 W; n = 222) vs low power (<40 W; n = 97). The Kaplan-Meier estimate of 12-month freedom from AF/AFL/atrial tachycardia recurrence was 76.4% (95% CI 69.3%-82.0%) and clinical success was 83.9% (95% CI 77.5%-88.6%) in the high-power group compared with 66.8% (95% CI 56.1%-75.5%) and 80.7% (95% CI 70.8%- 87.5%), respectively, in the low-power group. The primary safety event rate in all treated subjects was 4.3%; 4.1% in the HP group and 5.2% in the LP group ( Conclusion: TactiFlex SE is safe and effective for treatment of drug-refractory PAF and concomitant AFL and enables more efficient procedures than previous generation catheters.

Indexed as

Atrial fibrillationAtrial flutterClinical trialContact forceRadiofrequency catheter ablation

Identifiers

PMID38204461
PMCPMC10774658
OpenAlexW4388036756

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.