Reported Reactions

Devices › Catheter, percutaneous, cardiac ablation, for treatment of atrial fibrillation

Device brand name · Catheter percutaneous cardiac ablation for treatment of atrial fibrillation

TactiCath Contact Force Ablation Catheter, Sensor Enabled: medical device reports filed with FDA

305 reports name it, 2018–2026. Manufacturer given most often on reports: St Jude Medical. Product code OAE.

305
device reports naming the brand
0% of all MAUDE reports · about 36 a year
34
reports, 12 months to August 2026
44 in the 12 months before
3.3%
classified as malfunction
49% across the product code
6.9%
classified as death, as reported
21 reports · not verified by FDA

305 medical device reports received by FDA name the brand "TactiCath Contact Force Ablation Catheter, Sensor Enabled" (catheter percutaneous cardiac ablation for treatment of atrial fibrillation); the manufacturer given most often on reports is St Jude Medical; received from January 2018 to August 2026. Brand names are as the reporter or manufacturer wrote them, so one product can appear under several spellings.

34 reports arrived in the 12 months to August 2026, down 23% from 44 in the 12 months before. FDA releases MAUDE data monthly; reports can arrive months after an event, so the newest months grow in later releases. The event types recorded are injury (89.8%), death (6.9%) and malfunction (3.3%); across all catheter, percutaneous, cardiac ablation, for treatment of atrial fibrillation reports (product code OAE) death is recorded in 3% and malfunction in 49%. Event type is the reporter's classification of the report, not a verified outcome.

The device problems coded most often are patient device interaction problem (6.6%), high impedance (1.6%) and optical problem (1.3%). The patient problems coded most often are cardiac perforation, stroke/cva and heart block. FDA states that "MDR data alone cannot be used to establish rates of events, evaluate a change in event rates over time or compare event rates between devices. The number of reports cannot be interpreted or used in isolation to reach conclusions about the existence, severity, or frequency of problems associated with devices." It adds that the reporting system "has limitations, including the potential submission of incomplete, inaccurate, untimely, unverified, or biased data."

Reports by month, five years

0713Sep 2021: 4Oct 2021: 2Nov 2021: 5Dec 2021: 32022Jan 2022: 2Feb 2022: 2Mar 2022: 3Apr 2022: 3May 2022: 1Jun 2022: 7Jul 2022: 3Aug 2022: 5Sep 2022: 1Oct 2022: 2Nov 2022: 5Dec 2022: 32023Jan 2023: 3Feb 2023: 6Mar 2023: 11Apr 2023: 6May 2023: 6Jun 2023: 5Jul 2023: 13Aug 2023: 4Sep 2023: 4Oct 2023: 4Nov 2023: 5Dec 2023: 12024Jan 2024: 9Feb 2024: 4Mar 2024: 3Apr 2024: 5May 2024: 2Jun 2024: 5Jul 2024: 1Aug 2024: 2Sep 2024: 5Oct 2024: 4Nov 2024: 7Dec 2024: 32025Jan 2025: 8Feb 2025: 1Mar 2025: 5Apr 2025: 0May 2025: 1Jun 2025: 3Jul 2025: 1Aug 2025: 6Sep 2025: 7Oct 2025: 4Nov 2025: 1Dec 2025: 52026Jan 2026: 5Feb 2026: 1Mar 2026: 4Apr 2026: 2May 2026: 1Jun 2026: 2Jul 2026: 1Aug 2026: 1

Reports by the month FDA received them. FDA releases MAUDE data monthly; reports can arrive months after an event, so the newest months grow in later releases.

By year received

034682018: 620182019: 2520192020: 2620202021: 3420212022: 3720222023: 6820232024: 5020242025: 4220252026: 172026

Event type and report source

Event type, as classified on the report

Death6.9%21
Injury89.8%274
Malfunction3.3%10
Other0%0
Not given0%0

Who filed the report

Manufacturer report100%305
Voluntary report0%0
User facility report0%0
Distributor report0%0
Not given0%0

Grey bar: all 11,466 reports carrying product code OAE. Event type is the filer's classification and is not verified by FDA.

Device problems coded

Device problem (FDA code)ReportsShareShare across product code
Patient device interaction problem206.6%8.3%
High impedance51.6%0.5%
Optical problem41.3%4.3%
Device contamination with body fluid20.7%5.8%
Difficult to insertthe device was hard to insert20.7%0.1%
Gas/air leak20.7%1.2%
Communication or transmission problemthe device could not communicate or transmit10.3%2.9%
Display or visual feedback problem10.3%0.7%
Entrapment of device10.3%0.2%
Fluid/blood leak10.3%3.3%
Impedance problem10.3%0.4%
Output problem10.3%0.1%
Overheating of device10.3%0.5%
Unintended electrical shock10.3%0%

FDA's device problem codes as entered on the report; one report can carry several. Generic codes such as "no apparent adverse event" are left out.

Patient problems coded

Patient problem (FDA code)ReportsShare
Cardiac perforation18861.6%
Stroke/cva3912.8%
Heart block247.9%
Nerve damage196.2%
Perforation of esophagus165.2%
Arrhythmia154.9%
Stenosis144.6%
Embolism/embolus103.3%
Pericarditisinflammation of the sac around the heart103.3%
Vascular dissection103.3%
Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term82.6%
Thrombosis/thrombus62%
Cardiac arrestthe heart stopped41.3%
Cardiac tamponade41.3%
Air embolism31%

Patient problem codes are present mainly in reports filed since 2019 and are often blank.

In context

MeasureTactiCath Contact Force Ablation Catheter, Sensor EnabledProduct code OAEAll MAUDE reports
Reports30511,46626,136,888
Share of that pool—2.7%0%
Classified as death, per 1,000 reports69309
Classified as injury89.8%47.9%36.2%
Classified as malfunction3.3%49%62.3%
Filed by the manufacturer100%97.6%94.9%

Shares are of reports, not of devices in use. FDA states that "MDR data alone cannot be used to establish rates of events, evaluate a change in event rates over time or compare event rates between devices. The number of reports cannot be interpreted or used in isolation to reach conclusions about the existence, severity, or frequency of problems associated with devices." It adds that the reporting system "has limitations, including the potential submission of incomplete, inaccurate, untimely, unverified, or biased data."

Other brands with product code OAE

BrandReportsLatest 12 monthsClassified as death
Arctic Front Advance Cardiac Cryoablation Catheter2,364462.6%
Arctic Front Advance Pro Cardiac Cryoablation Catheter1,7271522.5%
TactiCath Contact Force Ablation Catheter, Sensor Enabled BiD Curve D-F1,088382.4%
QDOT Micro1,1693903%
Tacticath Quartz Contact Force Ablation Catheter 75mm63303.3%
Qdot Micro Catheter538373.5%
TactiFlex Ablation Catheter, Sensor Enabled5141643.7%
IntellaNav StablePoint Open-Irrigated376331.1%
Polarxfit235171.7%
TactiCath Contact Force Ablation Catheter, Sensor Enabled BiD Curve F-J21962.7%
Tacticath Quartz Contact Force Ablation Catheter 65mm20803.8%
TactiCath Contact Force Ablation Catheter, Sensor Enabled UniD Curve D188111.6%
Heartlight20601%
Tactisys Quartz Ablation System155160%
TactiCath Contact Force Ablation Catheter, Sensor Enabled UniD Curve F15144%

Ordered by report count for navigation only. FDA states that "MDR data alone cannot be used to establish rates of events, evaluate a change in event rates over time or compare event rates between devices. The number of reports cannot be interpreted or used in isolation to reach conclusions about the existence, severity, or frequency of problems associated with devices." It adds that the reporting system "has limitations, including the potential submission of incomplete, inaccurate, untimely, unverified, or biased data." FDA also states that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product."

Questions about TactiCath Contact Force Ablation Catheter, Sensor Enabled reports

How many FDA reports name TactiCath Contact Force Ablation Catheter, Sensor Enabled?

305 medical device reports in the openFDA MAUDE release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through August 2026; 34 in the latest 12 months.

What kinds of events are reported?

injury (89.8%), death (6.9%) and malfunction (3.3%). "Event type" is how the report was classified when filed: death, injury, malfunction or other.

What device problems are coded?

patient device interaction problem (6.6%), high impedance (1.6%), optical problem (1.3%), device contamination with body fluid (0.7%) and difficult to insert (0.7%). These are FDA's device problem codes as entered on the report.

Who files these reports?

manufacturer reports (100%). Manufacturers and user facilities are required to report; voluntary reports come from health professionals and the public.

Do these reports show that TactiCath Contact Force Ablation Catheter, Sensor Enabled was at fault?

No. FDA states that "MDR data alone cannot be used to establish rates of events, evaluate a change in event rates over time or compare event rates between devices. The number of reports cannot be interpreted or used in isolation to reach conclusions about the existence, severity, or frequency of problems associated with devices." It adds that the reporting system "has limitations, including the potential submission of incomplete, inaccurate, untimely, unverified, or biased data." FDA adds that "a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report."

How do I report a problem with a medical device?

Through FDA MedWatch (Form FDA 3500 for health professionals and consumers), or to the manufacturer. See the guide on how to report.

Where this comes from. Counts are built from the openFDA Device Adverse Event (MAUDE) bulk export released 28 Sep 2026, which holds reports FDA received through 31 Aug 2026. Brand, generic and manufacturer names are as written on the reports; product code names come from FDA's device classification. A report counts here when any device it lists carries this brand name after punctuation and capitalisation are normalised. No report narrative, lot number, patient detail or reporter identity is published. See the methodology and sources; FDA's record is authoritative, and corrections are handled within five working days.

Drug data (FAERS) through 30 Jun 2026; device data (MAUDE) through 31 Aug 2026. Not medical advice.