A new low energy power source for catheter ablation.

The current technology in the area of catheter ablation for cardiac arrhythmia is limited by the amount of damage sustained by the ablated area in relationship to the energy used. Thus, a newly designed power source is described in this report in three patients, two with resistant atrial flutter/fibrillation and one with a reentrant AV tachycardia. The delivered energy in all patients was 5.1 joules or less with the exception of a single shock of 37.5 joules, which was required in one patient. We conclude that this effort of low energy ablation using a unique power source represents an advance in the field of ablation that merits further evaluation.