RF needle technique
Four difficult single TSPs (4/949, 0.4%) were successfully performed
with the RF needle technique: 2 punctures in consecutive procedures in a
patient with prior surgery of atrial myxoma, 1 TSP in a patient after
previous AF ablation procedure, and 1 puncture where initial ICE
evaluation revealed hypertrophied IAS. In the patient after previous AF
ablation procedure, the percutaneous angioplasty (PTA) balloon was used
to dilate the septal puncture site which enabled left atrial access with
the long sheath. This was the only case where 7 seconds of low dose
fluoroscopy (2 frames per second) was used during PTA balloon
positioning and inflation. There were no adverse events in patients
where RF needle technique was used.