AcQMap for mapping the heart atria to target ablation treatment for arrhythmias

The technology described in this briefing is AcQMap. It is used for imaging and mapping the heart atria to target ablation treatment for arrhythmias.

The innovative aspects are the analysis and display of global non-contact charge density data. This could allow for a more targeted approach to ablation therapy, reducing the risk of unnecessary excess tissue ablation.

The intended place in therapy would be as an alternative to catheter ablation treatment of arrythmias using sequential bipolar contact mapping in people with heart arrhythmias, when drug treatment has not worked.

The main points from the evidence summarised in this briefing are from 5 prospective studies including a total of 189 adults in tertiary care. One multicentre single-armed study shows that AcQMap is effective for targeted ablation treatment for atrial fibrillation.

The key uncertainty around the evidence or technology is that there are no comparative studies showing long-term outcomes.

The cost of AcQMap is around £5,720 to £7,285 per procedure (excluding VAT).