May 19, 2023 – Abbott announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the company’s TactiFlex Ablation Catheter, Sensor Enabled™, the world’s first ablation catheter with a flexible tip and contact force technology.
Used to perform an ablation procedure to treat atrial fibrillation (AFib), the most common abnormal heart rhythm, the TactiFlex catheter can result in reduced procedure times and better safety when compared to the company’s previous generation catheters.
The TactiFlex catheter is designed to be used with Abbott’s EnSite X EP System, an industry-leading heart mapping system, which allows physicians to view and precisely identify areas in the heart that require ablation.
Unlike other catheters on the market, the TactiFlex catheter uses a tip design with a laser-cut pattern that flexes when in contact with the heart wall. This helps direct fluid to the treated tissue and allows for more accurate positioning of the catheter – providing up to two-times higher stability in a beating heart – for consistent therapy delivery. The TactiFlex catheter is also approved for use in Europe, Japan, Africa and Australia.