RHYTHM AI has announced publication of a clinical outcome study for its STAR (Stochastic Trajectory Analysis of Ranked signals) Mapping system, which is designed to improve outcomes in patients receiving ablation treatment for persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). The article in the Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology is titled “Ablation guided by STAR Mapping, in addition to pulmonary vein isolation, is superior to pulmonary vein isolation alone or in combination with CFAE/linear ablation for persistent AF”.
Patients undergoing pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) plus STAR guided ablation (STAR cohort) were compared to a propensity-matched cohort undergoing PVI and complex fractionated atrial electrogram (CFAE) and/or linear ablation (conventional ablation cohort). The STAR cohort was also compared to a cohort of patients undergoing PVI-only ablation (PVI alone ablation cohort).
The study suggests that the AF termination rates were significantly higher in the STAR cohort compared to both the conventional ablation cohort and the PVI-alone ablation cohort. Additionally, it found that during ≥20 months follow-up a lower proportion of patients had AF/AT recurrence in the STAR cohort when compared to the conventional ablation cohort or the PVI alone ablation cohort.
The number of patients undergoing a repeat procedure during the follow-up period was significantly lower in the STAR cohort when compared to the conventional ablation cohort and the PVI alone ablation cohort, the paper found, noting that performance of the PVI-alone and conventional patient cohorts were in line with expectations based on other published studies.
Simon Hubbert, chief executive of RHYTHM AI Ltd, commented: “We are encouraged to see additional, positive data demonstrating the superior results of STAR Mapping in the treatment of persistent AF, that has historically proved difficult to treat with conventional ablation therapy.”
