Study purpose and design

SPHERE Per-AF was a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing the Affera™ mapping and ablation system with Sphere-9™ catheter to the CARTO®* navigation and mapping system with THERMOCOOL SMARTTOUCH®* SF (STSF) catheter for the treatment of drug-refractory patients with persistent atrial fibrillation. All 420 primary analysis patients received pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) and additional linear lesions were permitted in order to treat documented macro reentrant tachycardias.



Global multicenter study


3 countries
United States, Israel, Czechia

 

23 sites

 

> 40 operators

  


420 patients treated
in primary analysis

 

< 12 months
to complete enrollment

 



Trial results1

The Sphere-9™ catheter with Affera™ mapping and ablation system displayed proven safety and effectiveness with superior efficiency.

  • 1.4% primary safety events versus 1% when using STSF
  • 74% primary effectiveness rate
  • 80% effectiveness in more than 10 cases1
  • 25+ minutes saved per procedure


Sphere-9™ procedural characteristic superiority over STSF2

  • 25 minutes less skin-to-skin time
  • 29 minutes less energy application time
  • 27 minutes less first to last application time

This illustration shows the skin-to-skin time of the Sphere-9™ catheter when compared to the THERMOCOOL SMARTTOUCH™* SF catheter.

This illustration shows the energy application time of the Sphere-9™ catheter when compared to the THERMOCOOL SMARTTOUCH™* SF catheter.

This illustration shows the first to last application time of the Sphere-9™ catheter when compared to the THERMOCOOL SMARTTOUCH™* SF catheter.

This is an illustration of a light blue dot.

Sphere-9™ catheter

This is an illustration of a gray dot.

THERMOCOOL SMARTTOUCH®* SF cathether


Further procedural efficiencies

One | Affera™ catheter

One catheter to map, ablate, and validate in more than 97% of procedures

This is a blue illustration of the Sphere-9™ catheter.

Two | CARTO®* catheters

Two catheters needed in all procedures: one to map and validate and another to ablate

This is an illustration of the CARTO™* mapping and validation catheter.
This is an illustration of the CARTO™* ablation catheter.

Watch several SPHERE Per-AF clinical trial investigators discuss the safety, effectiveness, and efficiency outcomes from the trial. 

Safety


Effectiveness


Efficiency


Watch the scientific exchange.

SPHERE Per-AF: Late-breaking data and IDE experience with the Sphere-9™ catheter

Watch Vivek Reddy, MD; Elad Anter, MD; and Khaldoun Tarakji, MD, review results from the SPHERE Per-AF IDE Trial.


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