New device gently moves esophagus, making heart ablations safer: study

A new device invented with the help of an electrophysiologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center makes a heart procedure safer for patients suffering from atrial fibrillation (AFib), a common irregular heart rhythm.

AFib affects millions of people worldwide and greatly increases their risk of stroke and heart failure. To treat AFib, doctors use cardiac ablation to help restore the heart’s rhythm. Heat or cold energy delivered through a catheter destroys the heart tissue causing rapid and irregular heartbeats. While the procedure is effective in treating AFib, the energy from the catheter tip is used only a few millimeters from the esophagus. There is a risk that the energy can cause a rare, but often fatal, hole between the esophagus and the heart called an atrioesophageal fistula.

To reduce the risk of damage to the esophagus the researchers develop the concept of physically moving the esophagus away from the catheter tip during an AFib ablation procedure. They helped design and test the device, called ESOlution. A clinical trial in the United States and Argentina showed that using the device significantly reduced injury to the esophagus without any adverse effects. Results of the trial were presented Saturday during the Heart Rhythm Society’s annual meeting.

The clinical trial of 120 heart ablation patients found that without the device, over a third had esophageal injuries, but when the device was used, less than 5% had any injury to the esophagus, they said. If approved by the FDA for commercial use, the device would be the first specifically developed and tested therapy to prevent ablation-related esophageal injury.

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OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY WEXNER MEDICAL CENTER,MEETING Heart Rhythm Society’s Annual Meeting