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Reconstruction of the left atrium for atrial fibrillation ablation using the machine learning CARTO 3 m-FAM software

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Abstract

Purpose

Atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation requires a precise reconstruction of the left atrium (LA) and pulmonary veins (PV). Model-based FAM (m-FAM) is a novel module recently developed for the CARTO system which applies machine learning techniques to LA reconstruction. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of a m-FAM-guided AF ablation as well as the accuracy of LA reconstruction using the cardiac computed tomography angiography (CTA) of the same patient LA as the gold standard, in 32 patients referred for AF ablation.

Methods

Consecutive patients undergoing AF ablation. The m-FAM reconstruction was performed with the ablation catheter (group 1) or a Pentaray and ablation catheters (group 2). The reconstruction accuracy was confirmed prior to the ablation by verification of pre-specified landmarks of the LA and PVs by an intracardiac echocardiogram (ICE) visualization and fluoroscopy. A cardiac CTA performed before the ablation was used as the gold standard of LA anatomy. For each patient, the m-FAM reconstruction was compared to his/her cardiac CTA.

Results

The m-FAM reconstruction was accurate in all patients regardless of the catheter used for mapping. Twelve percent re-acquisition of the LA landmarks was necessary to improve the accuracy. m-FAM time was shorter in group 2 while the M-Fam fluoroscopy time was similar. Pulmonary vein isolation was achieved in 100% of patients without major complications. The m-FAM reconstructions accurately resemble the cardiac CTA of the same patients.

Conclusions

The m-FAM module allows for rapid and precise reconstruction of the LA and PV anatomy, which can be safely used to guide AF ablation.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Correspondence to Raphael Rosso.

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Ethics approval and consent to participate

The study protocol was approved by the local ethical committee and registered in the Israel Ministry of Health (MOH 2020–06-22_009053). Written informed consent was obtained from all study subjects.

Competing interests

Dr. Rosso serves as a consultant for Biosense Webster. All other authors declare no competing interests.

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Schwartz, A.L., Chorin, E., Mann, T. et al. Reconstruction of the left atrium for atrial fibrillation ablation using the machine learning CARTO 3 m-FAM software. J Interv Card Electrophysiol 64, 39–47 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10840-021-01045-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10840-021-01045-4

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