Anterior vs. posterior position of dispersive patch during radiofrequency catheter ablation: insights from in silico modelling

Aims To test the hypothesis that the dispersive patch (DP) location does not significantly affect the current distribution around the catheter tip during radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) but may affect lesions size through differences in impedance due to factors far from the catheter tip. Methods An in silico model of RFCA in the posterior left atrium and anterior right ventricle was created using anatomic measurements from patient thoracic computed tomography scans and tested the effect of anterior vs. posterior DP locations on baseline impedance, myocardial power delivery, radiofrequency current path, and predicted lesion size. Results For posterior left atrium ablation, the baseline impedance, total current delivered, current distribution, and proportion of power delivered to the myocardium were all similar with both anterior and posterior DP locations, resulting in similar RFCA lesion sizes (< 0.2 mm difference). For anterior right ventricular (RV) ablation, an anterior DP location resulted in slightly higher proportion of power delivered to the myocardium and lower baseline impedance leading to slightly larger RFCA lesions (0.6 mm deeper and 0.8 mm wider). Conclusions An anterior vs. posterior DP location will not meaningfully affect RFCA for posterior left atrial ablation, and the slightly larger lesions predicted with anterior DP location for anterior RV ablation are of unclear clinical significance.

Automated summary

The study aimed to investigate the impact of dispersive patch (DP) location on radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) and lesion size. The results showed that DP location does not significantly affect RFCA in the posterior left atrium but may have a slight effect on anterior right ventricular ablation, leading to slightly larger lesions.