Arrhythmias & electrophysiologyCohort study
Variability in Tissue Interface Temperature During Pulse Field Atrial Ablation: Implications for Real-Time Contact Assessment
- retrospective single-center study
- consecutive patients
- mixed-effects model
- swine analysis
Authors' conclusion
Lattice-tip temperatures during PFA vary substantially, with right superior pulmonary vein sites often demonstrating a blunted temperature response compared with other sites. Peak and average temperatures correlated with lesion depth.
Study context
- Population
- Patients undergoing atrial fibrillation ablation using the lattice-tip catheterconsecutive patients, 2779 pulse field lesions analyzed
- Participants
- 41 patients
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Peak and average interface temperature
Mean peak temperature
41.7±2.2 °C (range, 37.2 °C-52.8 °C)
Average temperature
39.5±1.4 °C (range, 36.4 °C-46.9 °C)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Temperatures exceeding 50 °C
- Lesions exceeding 50 °C
- 10 of 2779 (0.4%)
- Of these 10, in the anterosuperior left superior pulmonary vein
- 5/10
Univariate associations with peak temperature
- Previous lesion temperature, r (95% CI 0.63-0.67; P <0.001)
- 0.65
- Time between lesions, r (−0.19 to −0.11; P <0.001)
- −0.15
- Percentage impedance drop, r (95% CI 0.16-0.23; P <0.001)
- 0.20
Peak temperature by location after multivariable analysis
- Right carina
- 39.7 °C
- Anterosuperior right superior pulmonary vein
- 40.9 °C
- Right superior pulmonary vein roof
- 40.5 °C
- significantly lowest at these locations
Lesion depth vs temperature (swine)
- Peak temperature, R (95% CI 0.20-0.75; P =0.003)
- 0.53
- Average temperature, R (95% CI 0.16-0.73; P =0.007)
- 0.49
Original publication
Variability in Tissue Interface Temperature During Pulse Field Atrial Ablation: Implications for Real-Time Contact Assessment. Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol. Published 20 April 2026. doi:10.1161/circep.125.014310
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it