In vitro contact force evaluation of robotic magnetic navigation catheters; Head to head comparison of different catheters and different settings
4 affiliations
- 1International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
- 2First Department of Internal Medicine – Cardioangiology, St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
- 3First Department of Internal Medicine – Cardioangiology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- 4Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
Abstract
Background: The Stereotaxis Robotic Magnetic Navigation (RMN) system uses an external magnetic field to navigate catheters inside the heart during arrhythmia ablation. This study compared in vitro maximal contact force (CF) achieved with different irrigated RMN ablation catheters under various conditions. Methods: An in vitro model was created to measure CF using a high-precision goldsmith scale mounted in a dedicated frame between the permanent magnets of the Stereotaxis RMN system. Four irrigated RMN catheters (Navistar RMT, Celsius RMT, Magnoflush, MAGiC™) were evaluated at three magnetic field intensities (0.10 T, 0.08 T, 0.05 T) and under multiple settings. Results: The MAGiC™ catheter consistently achieved significantly higher CF across all magnetic field intensities and orientations. At 0.10 T, longitudinal median CF ranged from 13.80 g (±0.10) to 19.80 g (±0.50), approximately 36% higher than the other catheters, which ranged from 7.00 g (±0.50) to 14.50 g (±0.38). In the perpendicular orientation, MAGiC™ ranged from 5.09 g (±0.65) to 10.83 g (±0.89), about 156% higher than the others, which ranged from 1.75 g (±0.18) to 4.22 g (±0.36). Across all catheters, CF increased with higher magnetic field intensity, with greater sheath support and with longitudinal orientation. Conclusions: The MAGiC™ catheter achieved significantly higher CF than other RMN catheters in both longitudinal and perpendicular orientations. The remaining catheters demonstrated comparable CF performance across all magnetic field intensities. Contact force increased with greater magnetic field strength and enhanced sheath support, and was consistently higher in the longitudinal compared with the perpendicular orientation.
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BibTeX
@article{starek2026vitro,
title = {{In vitro contact force evaluation of robotic magnetic navigation catheters; Head to head comparison of different catheters and different settings}},
author = {Zdenek Starek and Filip Souček and Martin Pešl and Martin Folprecht},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0357588},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357588},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - In vitro contact force evaluation of robotic magnetic navigation catheters; Head to head comparison of different catheters and different settings
AU - Zdenek Starek
AU - Filip Souček
AU - Martin Pešl
AU - Martin Folprecht
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/28
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0357588
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357588
AB - Background: The Stereotaxis Robotic Magnetic Navigation (RMN) system uses an external magnetic field to navigate catheters inside the heart during arrhythmia ablation. This study compared in vitro maximal contact force (CF) achieved with different irrigated RMN ablation catheters under various conditions. Methods: An in vitro model was created to measure CF using a high-precision goldsmith scale mounted in a dedicated frame between the permanent magnets of the Stereotaxis RMN system. Four irrigated RMN catheters (Navistar RMT, Celsius RMT, Magnoflush, MAGiC™) were evaluated at three magnetic field intensities (0.10 T, 0.08 T, 0.05 T) and under multiple settings. Results: The MAGiC™ catheter consistently achieved significantly higher CF across all magnetic field intensities and orientations. At 0.10 T, longitudinal median CF ranged from 13.80 g (±0.10) to 19.80 g (±0.50), approximately 36% higher than the other catheters, which ranged from 7.00 g (±0.50) to 14.50 g (±0.38). In the perpendicular orientation, MAGiC™ ranged from 5.09 g (±0.65) to 10.83 g (±0.89), about 156% higher than the others, which ranged from 1.75 g (±0.18) to 4.22 g (±0.36). Across all catheters, CF increased with higher magnetic field intensity, with greater sheath support and with longitudinal orientation. Conclusions: The MAGiC™ catheter achieved significantly higher CF than other RMN catheters in both longitudinal and perpendicular orientations. The remaining catheters demonstrated comparable CF performance across all magnetic field intensities. Contact force increased with greater magnetic field strength and enhanced sheath support, and was consistently higher in the longitudinal compared with the perpendicular orientation.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -