Northside Hospital Heart Institute is the first in Georgia to complete a cardiac ablation using a new pulsed field ablation system for treating atrial fibrillation (AFib).
The FARAPULSE™ Pulsed Field Ablation System was FDA-approved in January and has been used safely and effectively across the globe.
How it’s done: The new technology is a unique alternative to the standard-of-care thermal ablation, during which a catheter is guided to the interior of the heart, generating extreme temperatures — hot or cold — to destroy targeted areas in the heart associated with AFib, or abnormal heart rhythms. Rather, FARAPULSE relies on tissue-selective, non-thermal electric fields to ablate heart tissue and avoid damage to surrounding structures.
What they’re saying: Dr. Alok Gambhir, a cardiac electrophysiologist with Northside Hospital Heart Institute, successfully performed the procedure at Northside Hospital Gwinnett using this technology on April 8.
“Pulse field ablation is truly a revolutionary and practice-changing technology in our field where most of the ablation for atrial fibrillation will be performed using this technology in the future since it is safer, faster, better tolerating with faster healing and recovery, and potentially more effective,” said Dr. Gambhir.
Why it matters: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 12.1 million people will have AFib in the U.S. by 2030, as risk increases with age. Cardiac catheter ablation is now the first-line treatment in patients who are symptomatic with AFib with no obvious reversible cause.
More on this: Positive 12-month data from the pivotal ADVENT clinical trial — the first randomized clinical trial to directly compare the efficacy and safety of the FARAPULSE PFA system against standard-of-care ablation — found therapy with the device was as safe and effective as conventional thermal ablation, with statistically shorter ablation times.
Additional real-world data from more than 17,000 patients in the MANIFEST-17K registry demonstrated better safety of the system compared to conventional procedures, with no reports of permanent phrenic nerve palsy, pulmonary vein stenosis or esophageal injury.
“We are excited to bring this technology to better serve our patients and community with the latest FDA-approved technology that is potentially safer and more effective,” Dr. Gambhir added.
Next steps: To make a referral, or to speak with a physician, call 404-845-8200.
Learn more about heart care at Northside Hospital Heart Institute.
