Conclusions CB-2 tended to be more effective in comparison to NCF catheter and at least non-inferior to CF catheter , with shorter procedure time and similar safety endpoint
Purpose Currently , radiofrequency ( RF ) and cryoballoon are the most commonly used ablation technologies for atrial fibrillation ( AF ) .
We performed a meta- analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of the second-generation cryoballoons ( CB-2 ) compared with RF for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation ( PAF ) ablation .
Cryoballoon Versus Open Irrigated Radiofrequency Ablation in Patients With Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
Background — There is a lack of data on the comparative efficacy and procedural safety of open irrigated radiofrequency ( RF ) and cryoballoon catheter ( CB ) ablation for pulmonary vein isolation in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation . Methods and Results — In a prospect i ve , noninferiority study , 315 patients were r and omly assigned to RF ( n=159 ) or CB ( n=156 ) ablation . The primary end point was freedom from atrial arrhythmia with absence of persistent complications . Patients were largely comparable between groups with more vascular disease in the RF group ( 8.2 % versus 2.6 % for CB ; P=0.028 ) . The primary end point at 12 months was achieved by 70.7 % with RF and 73.6 % with CB ( multiple procedure success ) , including 31 redo procedures in each group ( 19.5 % of RF versus 19.9 % of CB ; P=0.933 ) . For the intention-to-treat population , noninferiority of CB was revealed for the predefined inferiority margin ( risk difference , 0.029 ; 95 % confidence interval , −0.074 to 0.132 ; P<0.001 ) . Rates at 6 months were 63.1 % and 64.1 % for the RF and CB groups ( single procedure success ) , and noninferiority was confirmed ( risk difference , 0.010 ; 95 % confidence interval , −0.097 to 0.116 ; P=0.002 ) . Periprocedural complications for the index procedure were more frequent in the CB group ( 5.0 % RF , 12.2 % CB ; P=0.022 ) with a significant difference in phrenic nerve palsies ( 0 % RF , 5.8 % CB ; P=0.002 ) . Conclusion — This large , prospect i ve , r and omized , controlled study demonstrates noninferiority of CB ablation versus RF ablation for treating patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation . Clinical Trial Registration — URL : http://www . clinical trials.gov . Unique identifier : NCT00774566
Conclusions CB-2 tended to be more effective in comparison to NCF catheter and at least non-inferior to CF catheter , with shorter procedure time and similar safety endpoint
Purpose Currently , radiofrequency ( RF ) and cryoballoon are the most commonly used ablation technologies for atrial fibrillation ( AF ) .
We performed a meta- analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of the second-generation cryoballoons ( CB-2 ) compared with RF for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation ( PAF ) ablation .