Nonfluoroscopic Catheter Ablation. Results From a Prospective Multicenter Registry.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Nonfluoroscopic catheter ablation is feasible in most procedures. The aim of our registry was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of a zero-fluoroscopic approach to catheter ablation in several Spanish centers.

METHODS: Eleven centers prospectively included a minimum of 20 patients. Patients with an arrhythmic substrate deemed suitable by the operator for a zero-fluoroscopic approach throughout the procedure were recruited. Patients with intracardiac devices were not included. Attending electrophysiologists, fellows, and resident physicians participated in each procedure, as in usual care.

RESULTS: The study included 247 patients. Ablation was performed in 235 patients (95.2%). In 2 patients, who were not included in the analysis, fluoroscopy was performed as the first-line treatment. The arrhythmic substrate was located in the right chambers in most of the procedures (231 of 233 [99.15%]). Fluoroscopy was used in 24 procedures (10.3%). Catheter ablation was successful in 96.4% of the procedures and severe complications occurred in 2 patients (0.85%). Two variables were related to the need for fluoroscopy: the performing center (minimum 0% vs maximum 30.3%; P=.001) and procedural failure (13% vs 2.4%; P<.05).

CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish multicenter registry reveals that a zero-fluoroscopic approach is feasible in most right-sided catheter ablation procedures. Randomized trials are necessary to confirm the safety of this approach. The need for fluoroscopy was related to procedural failure, with significant differences among performing centers.