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Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AFib) ablation is alternative treatment to drugs. Literature suggests that use of contact force (CF) catheter with higher power for short periods is effective and safe., Methods/results: Retrospectively analyzed 76 patients undergoing the first ablation. Third five patients-group A: 27 (77%) paroxysmal AFib (PAFib) and 8 (23%) persistent AFib (PersAFib) who underwent ablation at the power of 30 W-17 mL/minute flow with a CF of 10-30 g for 30 seconds. Fourty one patients-group B: 28 (68.3%) PAFib and 13 (31.70%) PersAFib underwent ablation using 45 W on posterior wall with CF of 8/15 g, as well as 50-W anterior wall with CF of 10/20 g-35 mL/minute flow for 6 seconds. Pulmonary vein isolation in both groups and ablated. For patients not in the sinus, we performed cardioversion before ablation. No complications. Group A: Left atrial time 110 ± 29 minutes, total 148 ± 33.6 minutes, radiofrequency time (RF) 4558 ± 1998 seconds, X-ray 8.5 ± 3.5 minutes, and elevation of esophageal temperature (ET) in 26 (74.3%). group B: Left atrial time 70.7 ± 18.5 minutes ( P < .00001), total 106 ± 23 minutes ( P < .00001), RF 1909 ± 675.8 seconds ( P < .00001), X-ray 8.8 ± 6.6 minutes ( P = .221) and elevation of ET in 21 (51.20% - P = .0578). In 6 and 12 months follow-up, we had 9 (25.71%) and 11 (31.42%) recurrences in group A and 5 (12.19%) and 7 (17.07%) in group B ( P = .231 at 6 and P = .14 at 12 months), respectively., Conclusions: HPSD was safe, useful, and efficient compared with CT, and reduced procedural time and total RF time. HPSD may reduce esophageal injury because of lower heating rate and it may reduce the recurrence of atrial tachyarrythmias., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: The study focused to identify markers of success in patients submitted to high-power short-duration (HPSD) atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation with contact force (CF) catheter. Methods: Prospective, observational study with 227 patients with first AF ablation in sinus rhythm using 50W of power and divided in two groups; success and failure according to absence or presence of AF related arrhythmias, respectively. Results: Success observed in 188 and failure in 39 patients, respectively. Median follow-up was 31±21.1 months. Left atrial time was shorter in success than in recurrence group (69.6±23.1 vs 83.2±21.2 min, p=0.008) as in total procedure time (80.1±30.2 vs 98.5±23.3min, (p=0.01). Radiofrequency time was 1,478±321.2 vs 1,888.4±584.1sec (p=0.001) in success and failure groups, respectively. Esophageal warming observed in 58 (30.9%) success and 14 (53.8%) recurrence patients (p=0.01). Higher rate of first-pass isolation observed in success than recurrence, 118 (77.6%) and 15 (50%) (p=0.039), respectively. After ablation heart rate increased from 53.8±9.7 to 66.8±11.6bpm in success and 57±7.7 to 64.4±10.4bpm in recurrence groups (p= 0.001), respectively. Conclusion: HPSD ablation identified that shorter left atrial time, lower luminal esophageal temperature heating, shorter radiofrequency time, higher heart rate increase and first-pass isolation effect were associated with better arrhythmia free-survival rates during follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]