The ablation of atrial fibrillation with the loop catheter design: what we have learned from the animal model.

Ablation of chronic atrial fibrillation (AF) with the use of transcutaneous catheter ablation is yet to become a clinical tool. This article summarizes the development of the technology and the technique for the ablation of AF that was tested on the rapidly paced AF dog model. The current ablation technology using the standard ablation technique used in humans is not suitable for the creation of transmural contiguous linear lesions, and such technology is subjecting the patient to the prolonged procedures with considerable risk of complication. The use of the loop catheter design or other designs of ablation technology, which is specifically targeted for the creation of linear lesions, should be developed if the catheter approach for the ablation of AF is to succeed. This article describes the data available for the loop catheter design that is currently undergoing human feasibility studies.