For decades, thermal energy—both heat and cold—has been used to treat atrial fibrillation (afib). A breakthrough ablation technology uses a new type of energy—pulsed electric fields—to offer patients successful outcomes with fewer complications.
Unlike the two current methods of treatment, radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation, pulsed field ablation (PFA) uses shorts bursts of high energy to interrupt the irregular electric signals that trigger atrial fibrillation and restore a regular heartbeat.
“It’s a paradigm shift in afib treatment that combines high rates of clinical success with a very low complication rate,” says Danny Lee, MD, medical director of Providence St. Jude Electrophysiology Lab. “The advantage over current ablation technologies is the ability to more selectively create lesions in cardiac tissue, reducing the risk of damage to surrounding structures.”
Atrial fibrillation is a common heart arrhythmia, in which the upper chambers of the heart or atria beat very rapidly and irregularly, compromising the heart’s ability to pump blood to the rest of the body. Symptoms include dizziness, heart palpitations and fatigue or weakness. Left untreated, afib increases stroke risk by three to five times.
The hospital’s electrophysiologists became early adopters of PFA, which was approved by the FDA at the end of 2023 and is being called one of the most significant advances in catheter ablation in decades.
Like other ablation techniques, PFA’s minimally invasive approach involves passing a catheter through the groin’s femoral artery to the heart, where tiny lesions are created to block the irregular signals causing afib. But its ability to ablate heart tissue while avoiding damage to the esophagus, blood vessels and nerves creates a safer procedure for patients.
“PFA’s use of tissue-selective, non-thermal electric fields offers patients the benefits of reduced risk, outstanding outcomes and less time under anesthesia,” says Dr. Lee, a board-certified cardiologist and electrophysiologist. “All reasons why it’s expected to become the standard of care for afib and possibly other arrhythmias.”
To find a physician who is right for you, go to providence.org/doctors.
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