Sam Brusco, Associate Editor01.29.21
Medtronic’s DiamondTemp Ablation (DTA) system has earned U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. The DTA system treats patients with recurrent, symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) who are unresponsive to drug therapy. According to the company, the DTA system is the first FDA-approved, temperature-controlled, irrigated radiofrequency (RF) ablation system that uses diamonds currently available for ablations.
AF ablation uses RF energy to create lesions through a minimally invasive approach, interrupting irregular electrical signals in the heart. The procedure is known as pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). Pulmonary veins are usually a major source of the arrhythmia, so PVI via catheter ablation remains the treatment of choice for AF patients unresponsive to drug therapy.1
The DTA catheter’s embedded industrial-grade diamonds tout 200-400 times greater thermal conductivity than materials used in conventional RF ablation catheters,2 enabling a low irrigation flow-rate and accurate real-time tissue temperature. The DTA catheter can also record high-resolution electrogram signals, which can be used as a physical indicator of lesion formation and guidance for ablation location.
"With the FDA approval of the DiamondTemp system, Medtronic continues to drive clinical research and innovation to find differentiated solutions that meet the needs of patients and clinicians, who are on the front lines of patient care," Rebecca Seidel, president of Cardiac Ablation Solutions at Medtronic said in a press release. "DTA is the only FDA-approved, temperature-controlled, irrigated RF ablation system on the market today. The addition of DTA will enable Medtronic to continue to expand our portfolio in new ways with cutting edge arrythmia solutions to help patients control their AF."
References
1 Calkins H, Hindricks G, Cappato R, et al. 2017 HRS/EHRA/ECAS/APHRS/SOLAECE expert consensus statement on catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation. Heart Rhythm. 2017;14(10):e275-e444.
2 Brown A, Marco S. Introduction to Heat Transfer. 3rd ed. McGraw Hill; 1958. AND Eckert ERG, Drake RM. Heat and Mass Transfer. Cited in: Holman JP. Heat Transfer. 9th ed. McGraw Hill; 2002)
AF ablation uses RF energy to create lesions through a minimally invasive approach, interrupting irregular electrical signals in the heart. The procedure is known as pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). Pulmonary veins are usually a major source of the arrhythmia, so PVI via catheter ablation remains the treatment of choice for AF patients unresponsive to drug therapy.1
The DTA catheter’s embedded industrial-grade diamonds tout 200-400 times greater thermal conductivity than materials used in conventional RF ablation catheters,2 enabling a low irrigation flow-rate and accurate real-time tissue temperature. The DTA catheter can also record high-resolution electrogram signals, which can be used as a physical indicator of lesion formation and guidance for ablation location.
"With the FDA approval of the DiamondTemp system, Medtronic continues to drive clinical research and innovation to find differentiated solutions that meet the needs of patients and clinicians, who are on the front lines of patient care," Rebecca Seidel, president of Cardiac Ablation Solutions at Medtronic said in a press release. "DTA is the only FDA-approved, temperature-controlled, irrigated RF ablation system on the market today. The addition of DTA will enable Medtronic to continue to expand our portfolio in new ways with cutting edge arrythmia solutions to help patients control their AF."
References
1 Calkins H, Hindricks G, Cappato R, et al. 2017 HRS/EHRA/ECAS/APHRS/SOLAECE expert consensus statement on catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation. Heart Rhythm. 2017;14(10):e275-e444.
2 Brown A, Marco S. Introduction to Heat Transfer. 3rd ed. McGraw Hill; 1958. AND Eckert ERG, Drake RM. Heat and Mass Transfer. Cited in: Holman JP. Heat Transfer. 9th ed. McGraw Hill; 2002)
