# Investigating workload and usability of remote magnetic navigation for catheter ablation

## TL;DR

This study compares the usability and workload of remote magnetic navigation versus manual navigation in catheter ablation procedures, finding that magnetic navigation improves efficiency and user experience.

## Contribution

The study provides empirical evidence on the usability and workload benefits of magnetic navigation systems in catheter ablation.

## Key findings

- Magnetic navigation significantly improved usability compared to manual navigation (p < 0.02).
- Task completion times were shorter with magnetic navigation (p < 0.01).
- Magnetic navigation reduced operator workload as measured by NASA Task Load Index (p < 0.01).

## Abstract

Robotic systems for catheter ablation have been in clinical use for many years. While their impact on the clinical outcome and procedure times is well studied, aspects like usability and operator workload have received limited attention in the literature. Reduced workload and stress levels benefit the operator’s mental and physical health, and can also lower the risk of errors and ultimately improve patient safety. The aim of this study is to investigate the workload and usability of remote magnetic navigation compared to conventional manual navigation.

We performed a user study with eight electrophysiologists. Each participant performed identical in-vitro navigation tasks replicating those found in pulmonary vein isolation using both manual and magnetic navigation. Magnetic navigation experiments were performed using the Navion, a mobile electromagnetic navigation system.

Magnetic navigation significantly improved usability (p < 0.02) and workload (p < 0.01) compared to manual navigation, measured using the System Usability Scale (magnetic: 85.6 ± 9.3 vs. manual: 75.0 ± 17.8) and NASA Task Load Index (magnetic: 72.4 ± 13.5 vs. manual: 45.8 ± 16.7). Additionally, task completion times were shorter (p < 0.01) with magnetic navigation (284.6 ± 80.7 s) compared to manual navigation (411.0 ± 123.7 s).

The findings of this study suggest that remote magnetic navigation using the Navion significantly improves operator experiences in terms of workload and usability, reinforcing the case for wider adoption of well-designed robotic systems in cardiac electrophysiology labs.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11548-025-03558-z.