Safety and feasibility of atrial fibrillation ablation using Amigo® system versus manual approach: A pilot study

Abstract Background The Amigo ® Remote Catheter System is a relatively new robotic system for catheter navigation. This study compared feasibility and safety using Amigo (RCM) versus manual catheter manipulation (MCM) to treat paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). Contact force (CF) and force-time integral (FTI) values obtained during pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) ablation were compared. Methods Forty patients were randomly selected for either RCM (20) or MCM (20). All were studied with the Thermocool ® SmartTouch ® force-sensing catheter (STc). Contact Force (CF), Force Time Integral (FTI) and procedure-related data, were measured/stored in the CARTO ® 3. Results All cases achieved complete PVI without major complications. Mean CF was significantly higher in the RCM group (13.3 ± 7.7 g in RCM vs. 12.04 ± 7.42 g in MCM p  Conclusions This pilot study suggests that use of the Amigo RCM system, with STc catheter, seems to be safe and effective for PVI ablation in paroxysmal AF patients. A not statistically significant favorable trend was observed for RCM in term of AF-free survival.