Impact of catheter orientation
Some important considerations regarding parallel-to-tissue contact
remain: While the force acting on the very distal end of the catheter
produces accurate results, even a slightly more proximal application of
the force naturally results in a reduced deflection of the tip (law of
leverage) and therefore in an underestimation of the true force. In
addition, forces acting on even more proximal parts of the catheter
cannot be measured at all. This limitation of the technology applies to
all models and should be considered when the catheter is oriented
parallel to the tissue as can be the case during ablation of the ridge
on the left pulmonary veins.