Pacing and clinical electrophysiology : PACE
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Pacing Clin Electrophysiol · Jan 2012
Safety aspects of deep sedation during catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation.
The combination of intravenous propofol and midazolam is frequently used to provide unconscious sedation during catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF), but only a very few reports are available on the influence of prolonged propofol infusion on arterial blood gas, blood pressure, and anesthesia-associated complications during ablation of AF. The purpose of this study was to assess tolerance and safety of unconscious sedation with intravenous propofol and midazolam during catheter ablation of AF. ⋯ Unconscious sedation with propofol and midazolam in AF ablation procedures lasting 3-5 hours did not result in severe changes of vital parameters or serum electrolytes. Anesthesia-associated problems were not observed. Propofol and midazolam can be safely used during catheter ablation of AF.
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Pacing Clin Electrophysiol · Jan 2012
Accurate guidance of a catheter by ultrasound imaging and identification of a catheter tip by pulsed-wave Doppler.
With the advent of numerous minimally invasive medical procedures, accurate catheter guidance has become imperative. We introduce and test an approach for catheter guidance by ultrasound imaging and pulsed-wave (PW) Doppler. ⋯ Although early in the development process, these quantitative in vitro results show promise for catheter guidance with ultrasound imaging and tip identification by PW Doppler.