Continuous ablation improves lesion maturation compared with intermittent ablation strategies

Abstract Background Interrupted ablation is increasingly proposed as part of high‐power short‐duration radiofrequency ablation (RFA) strategies and may also result from loss of contact from respiratory patterns or cardiac motion. To study the extent that ablation interruption affects lesions. Methods In ex vivo and in vivo experiments, lesion characteristics and tissue temperatures were compared between continuous (group 1) and interrupted (groups 2 and 3) RFA with equal total ablation duration and contact force. Extended duration ablation lesions were also characterized from 1 to 5 minutes. Results In the ex vivo study, continuous RFA (group 1) produced larger total lesion volumes compared with each interrupted ablation lesion group (273.8 ± 36.5 vs 205.1 ± 34.2 vs 174.3 ± 32.3 mm 3 , all P < .001). Peak temperatures for group 1 were higher at 3 and 5 mm than groups 2 and 3. In vivo, continuous ablation resulted in larger lesions, greater lesion depths, and higher tissue temperatures. Longer ablation durations created larger lesion volumes and increased lesion depths. However, after 3 minutes of ablation, the rate of lesion volume, and depth formation decreased. Conclusions Continuous RFA delivery resulted in larger and deeper lesions with higher tissue temperatures compared with interrupted ablation. This study may have implications for high‐power short duration ablation strategies, motivates strategies to reduce variations in ablation delivery, and provides an upper limit for ablation duration beyond which power delivery has diminishing returns.