Acutus Medical Launches AcQBlate Force Sensing Ablation System in Europe

Acutus Medical, an arrhythmia management company focused on improving the way cardiac arrhythmias are diagnosed and treated, has launched the AcQBlate Force Sensing Ablation System in Europe after securing CE Mark for the company’s AcQBlate FORCE ablation catheter and the Qubic Force Sensing Module (Qubic Force). The AcQBlate Force Sensing Ablation System, which incorporates the first and only commercially available gold-tipped, irrigated, force-sensing radiofrequency ablation catheter on the market (AcQBlate Force), also integrates two components made available through Acutus Medical’s international alliance with BIOTRONIK: the Qubic Radiofrequency Generator (Qubic RF) and the Qiona Irrigation Pump.
 
When combined with AcQMap, Acutus’ proven ultra-high resolution, 3D cardiac imaging and mapping system, the AcQBlate Force Sensing Ablation System represents a complete and highly differentiated solution for the electrophysiologic (EP) mapping and RF ablation of cardiac arrhythmias.
 
Designed specifically to provide innovative therapeutic solutions during cardiac ablation procedures, AcQBlate FORCE shows physicians, in real time, how much contact is being applied to the heart during ablation procedures. Studies have shown the utility of real-time contact force information in helping physicians guide safe and effective therapy, which may improve patient outcomes.¹ AcQBlate FORCE also uses a single optical fiber-based force sensor in an isolated tip with active temperature compensation that results in accurate and reliable contact force measurements at all contact angles during an ablation procedure.
 
“It is important that physicians know how much force is being applied to the wall of the heart during ablation procedures,” said Dr. Tamas Szili-Torok of Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands. “AcQBlate FORCE is a unique and differentiated product that will easily surpass expectations in providing a therapeutic solution. The AcQBlate FORCE catheter combines the benefits of optical force sensing technology, a gold ablation electrode, and a novel irrigation design to enable effective lesion formation at lower irrigation rates.”
 
In addition to contact force sensing technology, the AcQBlate FORCE gold-tip technology may improve workflow efficiency through greater thermal conductivity compared to conventional platinum-iridium electrodes. This superior thermal property results in more efficient energy delivery and decreased tip temperature at half the irrigation rates of conventional force sensing catheters. Gold-tip catheters can create the same lesion characteristics in less time compared to platinum-iridium tips.^2,3
 
The AcQBlate FORCE ablation catheter is paired with the Qubic Force Module that translates the contact force signal into an intuitive real-time display of contact force and contact force angle that a physician may use to navigate the cardiac anatomy and deliver therapy with confidence. The Qubic RF generator and the Qiona irrigation pump, available through Acutus Medical’s partnership with BIOTRONIK, complete the AcQBlate Force Sensing Ablation System. The Qubic RF generator has the smallest footprint of any radiofrequency ablation generator in its class and a unique control interface that minimizes the number of steps and settings required to start an ablation procedure. The Qubic RF generator integrates with the Qiona irrigation pump to automatically deliver the right amount of irrigation flow through the catheter during RF ablation. The AcQBlate Force Sensing Ablation System may also operate in a “standalone” manner, enabling physicians the benefit of contact force sensing technology even in simple ablation cases where sophisticated 3D diagnostic mapping may not be required.
 
Dangerous and potentially life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias are often treated with cardiac ablation procedures that require robust tools including access, diagnostic, and therapeutic technologies. Acutus Medical offers a full suite of EP solutions on an open platform, including transseptal access and advanced cardiac imaging and mapping, in addition to the new Force Sensing Ablation System.
 
“We are excited to offer this innovative and fully integrated therapeutic solution,” said Vince Burgess, CEO of Acutus Medical. “AcQBlate FORCE’s capabilities reflect everything we’re trying to accomplish at Acutus – the creation and delivery of EP products that are both state-of-the-art and designed to work in virtually any setting due to their open platform design. Open platforms help accelerate innovation and drive cost effective solutions that ultimately benefit all. We look forward to offering the benefits of a comprehensive, force sensing ablation system to electrophysiologists in Europe and, ultimately, around the world.”
 
AcQBlate Force Sensing Catheter is not for sale in the United States.
 
References
¹ Ariyarathna N. et al., Role of Contact Force Sensing in Catheter Ablation of Cardiac Arrhythmias: Evolution or History Repeating Itself? JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology (2018); 707-723
² Tibor Balázs et.al, Ablation time efficiency and lesion volume. Journal of Interventional Cardiac Electrophysiology (2012), (36).
³ Linhart M. et al., Superiority of Gold Compared to Platinum Tip Irrigated Catheter Ablation of the Pulmonary Veins and the Cavotricuspid Isthmus: A Randomized Study Comparing Tip Temperatures and Cooling Flow Requirements. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol. 2012 Jul; 23(7): 717–21