Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2025 Jan;14(1):e240075.
doi: 10.57264/cer-2024-0075. Epub 2024 Dec 4.

Hospital readmissions following catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation with THERMOCOOL™ STSF/ THERMOCOOL™ ST catheter with CARTO™ 3 system versus TactiCath™ catheter with EnSite™ system

Alexandru I Costea  1 , Rahul Khanna  2 , Maximiliano Iglesias  3 , Yiran Rong  2
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Hospital readmissions following catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation with THERMOCOOL™ STSF/ THERMOCOOL™ ST catheter with CARTO™ 3 system versus TactiCath™ catheter with EnSite™ system

Alexandru I Costea et al. J Comp Eff Res. 2025 Jan.

Abstract

Aim: Radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation (CA) is a mainstay treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF). RF catheters with contact force (CF) sensing technology and electroanatomical mapping systems enable real-time assessment of catheter tip-tissue interface CF, facilitating individualized and precise CA. This study examined inpatient hospital readmissions in patients with AF treated with THERMOCOOL™ ST/ THERMOCOOL™ STSF catheter with the CARTO™ 3 System versus TactiCath™ catheter with the EnSite™ System. Materials & methods: Patients undergoing CA for AF between 1 July 2019 to 30 November 2021 were identified from the Premier Healthcare Database and grouped based on use of THERMOCOOL ST/STSF or TactiCath™. Study outcomes were all-cause, cardiovascular (CV)-, and AF-related inpatient readmission at 91-365-day post-CA. Inverse probability of treatment weighting of propensity scores balanced baseline patient, comorbidity and hospital characteristics. A weighted generalized estimating equation (GEE) model examined differences in readmission outcomes. Results: A total of 15,518 patients met inclusion criteria (THERMOCOOL ST/STSF, n = 13,001; TactiCath™, n = 2517). Patient characteristics were generally well-balanced after weighting. Patients treated with THERMOCOOL ST/STSF + CARTO 3 had a 20% lower likelihood of all-cause inpatient readmissions (7.8 vs 9.3%, chi-square p = 0.041; odds ratio [OR]: 0.80, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.66-0.96, GEE p = 0.019) and a 21% lower likelihood of CV-related inpatient readmission (5.2 vs 6.2%, chi-square p = 0.133, OR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.62-0.99, GEE p = 0.043) in 91-365-days post-CA versus those treated with TactiCath™ + Ensite. No significant differences were observed for AF-related readmissions. Conclusion: Patients undergoing CA for AF treated with THERMOCOOL ST/STSF + CARTO 3 had a significantly lower risk of all-cause and CV-related inpatient hospital readmission versus those treated with TactiCath™ + Ensite.

Keywords: CARTO 3™; EnSite; THERMOCOOL™ ST/STSF; TactiCath™; arrhythmia; atrial fibrillation; catheter ablation; electroanatomical mapping; imaging; radiofrequency catheter.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests disclosure

The authors have no competing interests or relevant affiliations with any organization or entity with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

References

    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart Disease: Atrial Fibrillation. (Accessed 16 July 2023). https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/atrial_fibrillation.htm
    1. Heeringa J, van der Kuip DA, Hofman A et al. Prevalence, incidence and lifetime risk of atrial fibrillation: the Rotterdam study. Eur. Heart J. 27, 949–953 (2006). - PubMed
    1. Benjamin EJ, Muntner P, Alonso A et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics – 2019 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation 139, e56–e528 (2019). - PubMed
    1. Vasan RS, Zuo Y, Kalesan B. Divergent temporal trends in morbidity and mortality related to heart failure and atrial fibrillation: age, sex, race, and geographic differences in the United States, 1991–2015. J. Am. Heart Assoc. 8, e010756 (2019). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Arora S, Lahewala S, Tripathi B et al. Causes and predictors of readmission in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing catheter ablation: a national population-based cohort study. J. Am. Heart Assoc. 7(12), e009294 (2018). - PMC - PubMed

Publication types