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 .
Phrenic nerve paralysis during cryoballoon ablation for atrial fibrillation: a comparison between the first- and second-generation balloon.
BACKGROUND Phrenic nerve palsy ( PNP ) is the most frequently observed complication during  cryoballoon ablation ( CB ; A rct ic Front , Medtronic , MN ) occurring in roughly 7%-9 % of the cases . The new second-generation cryoballoon ablation A rct ic Front Advance ( CB-A ) ( A rct ic Front ) has recently been launched in the market . OBJECTIVE To evaluate the incidence of right PNP with the new CB-A in comparison with the first-generation balloon in a series of consecutive patients that underwent pulmonary vein isolation with this modality . METHODS The study was design ed as an observational study with a prospect i ve follow-up . In total , 121 consecutive patients were included : 80 patients with the CB ( group 1 ) and 41 with the CB-A ( group 2 ) . RESULTS Mean procedural times , fluoroscopic times , and time to pulmonary vein isolation documented by real-time recordings were significantly lower in group 2 ( P ≤ .05 ) . The occurrence of PNP was significantly higher in group 2 ( 6.25 % [ 5 of 80 ] in group 1 vs 19.5 % [ 8 of 41 ] in group 2 ; P = .033 ) . At 7 months , PNP persisted in 1 ( 2.5 % ) patient in the CB-A group . CONCLUSIONS Right PNP seems to occur in a significantly larger number of patients with the second-generation CB-A. However , this complication is reversible in nearly all cases on short-term follow-up . More refined phrenic nerve monitoring during right-sided pulmonary vein ablation and less vigorous wedging maneuvers in the pulmonary vein ostia might significantly reduce the occurrence of this complication
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 .