News
Introducing Sphere-9 and Affera at the RDE
Combining detailed electrical mapping and catheter ablation with the Sphere-9 catheter and Affera system.
In July 2026, we began using the Sphere-9 catheter with the Affera mapping and ablation system at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.
During a heart rhythm procedure, electrical mapping helps the team understand how signals travel through the heart. Affera displays a detailed map to help guide treatment. The Sphere-9 catheter combines this mapping function with the ability to deliver ablation through its spherical lattice tip.
The catheter can deliver two types of treatment energy: pulsed field energy, which uses short electrical pulses, and radiofrequency energy, which uses heat. Combining mapping and treatment in one catheter gives the team a further option when planning and carrying out an ablation. Medtronic’s technical information describes the catheter and its functions.
For patients, this is another development in the technology available within our heart rhythm service. The most appropriate approach depends on the rhythm problem being treated and the individual patient’s needs.
Product image: Medtronic, via its newsroom.