ESC 2023 — Dr Tobias Reichlin (Inselspital, University of Bern, CH) joins us on-site at ESC 2023 to discuss the findings of the COMPARE-CRYO Trial (NCT04704986). 

The COMPARE-CRYO trial (Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern) aimed to compare the safety and efficacy of the PolarX Cryoballoon (Boston Scientific) with the Arctic Front Cryoballoon (Medtronic) in patients with symptomatic paroxysmal AF undergoing their first pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). 201 patients were enrolled in this phase 4 trial, who were randomized to receive either PolarX or Arctic Front. 

Results suggest that the recurrence of atrial arrhythmias occurred in 47% of patients treated with the Arctic Front cryoballoon as compared to 41% of the patients treated with the PolarX Cryoballoon. This met the criteria for noninferiority.

Questions:

1. What is the current landscape of Cryoablation in 2023?
2. What are the differences between the PolarX and Arctic Front Cryoballoons?
3. What was the patient population and study design?
4. What were the key results?
5. How should these findings influence clinical practice?
6. What further research is still required?

Recorded on-site at ESC Congress 2023, Amsterdam. 

Editors: Mirjam Boros and Jordan Rance
Video Specialists: Dan Brent, Tom Green, Mike Knight, Oliver Miles