Dalian, China - On July 7th, Shanghai MicroPort EP MedTech Co., Ltd. (referred to as MicroPort EP), taking along with its blockbuster product--FireMagic™ TrueForce™ Ablation Catheter (referred to as TrueForce™ Ablation Catheter), participated in the 21st China Atrial Fibrillation Symposium (CAFS2023) (referred to as Dalian AF Symposium) and held a launch ceremony. Since the post-marketing clinical trials of the TrueForce™ Ablation Catheter was carried out in February 2023, MicroPort EP has completed more than 300 radiofrequency (RF) ablation procedures under the guidance of contact force sensing catheters across 26 provinces and cities.

RF ablation under the guidance of the contact force catheter is a currently recognized and effective treatment option for complex arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation (AF) which has been widely used and accepted in overseas developed countries and in China. However, China has relied on import of contact force catheters for a long time. As the first domestic contact force catheter approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), the launch ceremony of the TrueForce™ Ablation Catheter marks the official entry of the product into the AF ablation market, providing a more accurate and reliable tool for diagnosis and treatment of Chinese AF patients, and it is a milestone event in the process of the localization of contact force catheters.

At the event, Prof. Ma Changsheng from Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Prof. Yao Yan from Fuwai Hospital, CAMS & PUMC, and Prof. Xia Yunlong from the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University (the host) made speeches on the stage as the special guests, and depicted the colorful words of "TrueForce™ Opening a New Era of AF Ablation in China" in the launching ceremony along with Prof. Gao Lianjun from the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Prof. Fu Hua from West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Prof. Wang Zulu from 202 Hospital of PLA, Prof. Shang Lihua from Beijing Huaxin Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Tsinghua University, President Dr. Sun Yiyong of MicroPort EP, and Vice President Mr. Chen Zhiyong of MicroPort EP in charge of promotion of treatment options.

Since the post-marketing clinical trials of the TrueForce™ Ablation Catheter was carried out in February 2023, MicroPort EP has completed more than 300 RF ablation procedures under the guidance of contact force catheters, where more than 100 operators have experienced the TrueForce™ Ablation Catheter. During this forum of thematic academic activities for the TrueForce™ Ablation Catheter, the participated experts conducted a discussion on the clinical application of the TrueForce™ Ablation Catheter - the first domestic contact force catheter, hosted by Prof. Fu Hua, Prof. Gao Lianjun and Prof. Wang Zulu.

The pre-marketing clinical study results of the TrueForce™ Ablation Catheter have been recently published in the journal of “Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology ”(PACE) for the first time, collected a total of 120 cases clinical applications of the TrueForce™ Ablation Catheter, which had been completed together by a number of electrophysiologists from five top three hospitals in China. Prof. Zhang Rongfeng from the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, the team leader unit of the pre-marketing clinical study, gave a detailed interpretation to the clinical results and said that the TrueForce™ Ablation Catheter, as the first domestic contact force catheter, had demonstrated its strengths comparable to imported brands in the clinical trial stage.

Prof. Liu Nian from Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University introduced the performance and contact force-sensing principle of the TrueForce™ Ablation Catheter, and the functions of the automatic labeling software SmartLabel used with the catheter to the attending guests in detail, by accounting for clinical cases from Anzhen Hospital. Prof. Deng Chenggang from Wuhan Asia Heart Hospital, Prof. Zhang Yi from the Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University, and Prof. Chen Xiao'an from Xi'an International Medical Center presented the clinical cases on the application of the TrueForce™ Ablation Catheter for treatment of AF in their respective centers, demonstrating the features of precise contact force sensing, clear vectors, and intelligent quantification of the TrueForce™ Ablation Catheter.

The introduction and demonstration from the experts led to a lively discussion at the venue. The attendees believed that the TrueForce™ Ablation Catheter could accurately detect the contact force changes when the ablation catheter gets in contact with the endocardial tissues, and provide physicians with important cues on ablation energy and guidance on operations in place. Moreover, the TrueForce™ Ablation Catheter can also provide more popularized treatment options for a wide range of patients.

During the conference, the attendees also offered many valuable comments and suggestions while recognizing and acknowledging the TrueForce™ Ablation Catheter. The participated experts all agreed that the launching of the first domestic contact force catheter marked an important breakthrough and progress of local self-developed electrophysiological devices in the cardiovascular field, and is another successful case of the innovative medical device research and development in China. Prof. Fu Hua said, "We hope that the attended physicians will apply the knowledge and inspiration gained into their practices and contribute their strength to the health of patients with arrhythmias, and we also expect that more extensive applications of the domestic contact force catheters are continuously developed in clinical practices to bring more well-being to patients.”