Pulmonary Vein Isolation Using the ArcticFront Cryoballoon: The MonashHeart Experience

Introduction: Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is a proven therapy for symptomatic drug refractory paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) and is usually performed using various circumferential radiofrequency ablation (RFA) lesion sets. The ArcticFront cryoballoon ablation catheter (CBAC) has been developed as an alternative to RFA to create circumferential pulmonary vein lesions using cryotherapy. The CBAC has been used successfully in Europe and in trials in North America. MonashHeart performed the first PVIs using the CBAC in the Asia-Pacific region in September 2007.