Pannone, L., Uffenorde, S., Smith, A. B., Della Rocca, D. G., Vergara, P., Doundoulakis, I., Sorgente, A., Del Monte, A., Talevi, G., Overeinder, I., Bala, G., Almorad, A., Ströker, E., Sieira, J., Gharaviri, A., La Meir, M., Brugada, P., Sarkozy, A., Chierchia, G. B., & de Asmundis, C. (2025). Cryoballoon Ablation With the POLARx FIT™ or the Arctic Front Advance Pro™ for Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation: A Health Economic Analysis. Journal of Health Economics and Outcomes Research, 12(1), 155-161. https://doi.org/10.36469/001c.133223, https://doi.org/10.36469/001c.133223

@article{c189a8fc1c0b426b99dbd873ad9318ce,
title = "Cryoballoon Ablation With the POLARx FIT{\texttrademark} or the Arctic Front Advance Pro{\texttrademark} for Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation: A Health Economic Analysis",
abstract = "Background: Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is the main ablation strategy for the treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Different technologies are available for PVI, including various cryoballoon catheters (CB-A). Compared with the Arctic Front Advance ProTM, the novel POLARx FITTM CB-A might reduce costs for atrial fibrillation ablation. Objective: The aim of this study is to perform a health economic evaluation of two cryoballoon systems for PVI procedures. Methods: All patients undergoing their first PVI procedure with POLARx FITTM CB-A or the Arctic Front Advance ProTM CB-A were prospectively enrolled. The health economic analysis was performed on the index hospitalization and procedure. The primary safety endpoint included procedure-related adverse events within the index hospitalization. A decision tree model was built to estimate downstream costs. Results: A total of 80 patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation undergoing PVI were analyzed, with 40 patients in each arm. Compared with the Arctic Front Advance ProTM CB-A, POLARx FITTM CB-A showed a lower procedure time, left-atrium dwell time, and fluoroscopy time. The complication rate was low (6.3\%) and included 3 reversible phrenic nerve palsies in the POLARx FITTM CB-A group vs 2 in the Arctic Front Advance ProTM CB-A group. Compared with the Arctic Front Advance Pro, the POLARx FITTM CB-A was associated with lower procedural costs (€2069.7 ± €165.2 vs €2239.5 ± €366.0; P=.009). Conclusion: The POLARx FITTM CB-A was associated with a shorter procedure time, translating into lower procedural costs, compared with the Arctic Front Advance Pro. Complications were rare and comparable between the two technologies.",
keywords = "atrial fibrillation, catheter ablation, cryoballoon catheter, pharmacoeconomy, pulmonary vein isolation, ablation catheter, adult, aged, article, clinical trial, cohort analysis, complication, cryoablation, cryoablation device, decision tree, dwell time, female, fluoroscopy, heart left atrium, hospitalization, human, male, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, phrenic nerve paralysis, therapy",
author = "Luigi Pannone and Steffen Uffenorde and Smith, \{Antonia Bosworth\} and \{Della Rocca\}, \{Domenico Giovanni\} and Pasquale Vergara and Ioannis Doundoulakis and Antonio Sorgente and \{Del Monte\}, Alvise and Giacomo Talevi and Ingrid Overeinder and Gezim Bala and Alexandre Almorad and Erwin Str{\"o}ker and Juan Sieira and Ali Gharaviri and \{La Meir\}, Mark and Pedro Brugada and Andrea Sarkozy and Chierchia, \{Gian Battista\} and \{de Asmundis\}, Carlo",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2025 Columbia Data Analytics. All rights reserved.",
year = "2025",
month = sep,
day = "10",
doi = "10.36469/001c.133223",
language = "English",
volume = "12",
pages = "155--161",
journal = "Journal of Health Economics and Outcomes Research",
issn = "2327-2236",
publisher = "Scholastica",
number = "1",
}