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Electromagnetic Contact‐Force Sensing Electrophysiological Catheters: How Accurate Is the Technology?
Author(s) -
BOURIER FELIX,
HESSLING GABRIELE,
AMMARBUSCH SONIA,
KOTTMAIER MARC,
BUIATTI ALESSANDRA,
GREBMER CHRISTIAN,
TELISHEVSKA MARTA,
SEMMLER VERENA,
LENNERZ CARSTEN,
SCHNEIDER CHRISTINE,
KOLB CHRISTOF,
DEISENHOFER ISABEL,
REENTS TILKO
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of cardiovascular electrophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.193
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1540-8167
pISSN - 1045-3873
DOI - 10.1111/jce.12886
Subject(s) - contact force , reproducibility , biomedical engineering , medicine , catheter , surgery , statistics , physics , mathematics , quantum mechanics
Accuracy of Contact‐Force Sensing Background Contact‐force (CF) sensing catheters are increasingly used in clinical electrophysiological practice due to their efficacy and safety profile. As data about the accuracy of this technology are scarce, we sought to quantify accuracy based on in vitro experiments. Methods and Results A custom‐made force sensor was constructed that allowed exact force reference measurements registered via a flexible membrane. A Smarttouch Surround Flow (ST SF) ablation catheter (Biosense Webster, Diamond Bar, CA, USA) was brought in contact with the membrane of the force sensor in order to compare the ST SF force measurements to force sensor reference measurements. ST SF force sensing technology is based on deflection registration between the distal and proximal catheter tip. The experiment was repeated for n = 10 ST SF catheters, which showed no significant difference in accuracy levels. A series of measurements (n = 1200) was carried out for different angles of force acting to the catheter tip (0°/perpendicular contact, 30°, 60°, 90°/parallel contact). The mean absolute differences between reference and ST SF measurements were 1.7 ± 1.8 g (0°), 1.6 ± 1.2 g (30°), 1.4 ± 1.3 g (60°), and 6.6 ± 5.9 g (90°). Measurement accuracy was significantly higher in non‐parallel contact when compared with parallel contact (P < 0.01). Conclusions Catheter force measurements using the ST SF catheters show a high level of accuracy regarding differences to reference measurements and reproducibility. The reduced accuracy in measurements of 90° acting forces (parallel contact) might be clinically important when creating, for example, linear lesions.