Re: Early results for a new cryo-catheter for AF

[Guest guest]

> This sounds interesting.

>

> http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?

ACCT=109 & STORY=/www/story/05-10-2004/0002170299 & EDATE=

......................................................................

Thanks for that article, . It just reenforces my thinking that

the longer I can hold out on a PVI the better it'll be.

I see Natale next month and that technology will be one of the things

I'll be discussing with him. The CC will probably be one of the

first places doing it if, when, if comes to the U.S.

P <Michigan>

[Guest guest]

> This sounds interesting.

>

> http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?

ACCT=109 & STORY=/www/story/05-10-2004/0002170299 & EDATE=

>

:

I'm not a lawyer (and don't even play one on TV) --- but one section

of the press release was worded very carefully:

" In the circumstances where Arctic Circler Balloon successfully

isolated the pulmonary vein ostia, no more than two applications of

cryo were required, with the majority requiring only one application. "

Does that mean there were instances where the were not successful?

H, in Charlotte

[Guest guest]

> This sounds interesting.

>

> http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?

ACCT=109 & STORY=/www/story/05-10-2004/0002170299 & EDATE=

>

:

I'm not a lawyer (and don't even play one on TV) --- but one section

of the press release was worded very carefully:

" In the circumstances where Arctic Circler Balloon successfully

isolated the pulmonary vein ostia, no more than two applications of

cryo were required, with the majority requiring only one application. "

Does that mean there were instances where the were not successful?

H, in Charlotte

[Guest guest]

H wrote:

<<Does that mean there were instances where the were not successful?>>

, I didn't read it quite that way, just that the max number of

freezing applications needed were two, with most patients needing only

one. But I also note that this report is only about 13 cases. Probably

13 very carefully selected cases.

Everything good starts out small, it seems, especially in medicine.

I do know there are two basic groups of ablaters: the heaters and the

coolers. The heaters have been around a lot longer than the coolers, so

they have a larger base of experience (and problems). Like many in this

group, I would like to have good, plain facts about what is going on in

both camps.

The ever present messer-upper of interpretation, though, remains

operator skill. Ablation is very dependent upon that right now. If

someone was very experienced as a heater and wanted to switch to being a

cooler ON ME, I don't think so.

[Guest guest]

H wrote:

<<Does that mean there were instances where the were not successful?>>

, I didn't read it quite that way, just that the max number of

freezing applications needed were two, with most patients needing only

one. But I also note that this report is only about 13 cases. Probably

13 very carefully selected cases.

Everything good starts out small, it seems, especially in medicine.

I do know there are two basic groups of ablaters: the heaters and the

coolers. The heaters have been around a lot longer than the coolers, so

they have a larger base of experience (and problems). Like many in this

group, I would like to have good, plain facts about what is going on in

both camps.

The ever present messer-upper of interpretation, though, remains

operator skill. Ablation is very dependent upon that right now. If

someone was very experienced as a heater and wanted to switch to being a

cooler ON ME, I don't think so.