There is no doubt that the new arrhythmia mapping technologies under development by companies such as Topera Medical Inc., CardioInsight Technologies Inc., and Acutus Medical Inc. are innovative and even potentially groundbreaking. (See Also see "New Paradigms Brewing In Atrial Fibrillation Ablation" - Medtech Insight, 23 August, 2013..) But whether or not any of them will be able to fully deliver on their promised potential remains to be seen, and there is much work ahead before their ultimate clinical utility and market impact can be fully defined. Meanwhile, research continues on nearer-term advances aimed at making atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation procedures more effective and durable and targeted to the patients who are most likely to benefit. Three such technologies – contact force sensing, endoscopic laser ablation, and atrial fibrosis imaging – are moving steadily closer to the US market.
One adjunctive technology that appears destined to play a major role in AF ablation in the near future is contact...