Mitigating esophageal injury after atrial fibrillation ablation guided by ablation index; CLOSEr to goal.

The authors reflect on the efforts to maximize outcomes and mitigate esophageal injuries during atrial fibrillation ablation as guided by the Ablation Index (AI). Other topics include the methods that were developed to guide titration of radiofrequency (RF) energy delivery, the use of the CLOSE protocol to optimize and standardize ablation delivery during pulmonary vein isolation (PVI), and how the high-power-short-duration (HSPD) ablation can enhance ablation safety.