Fairfield Medical Center in Lancaster is now offering pulsed field ablation (PFA) therapy as a treatment for atrial fibrillation (afib). This dangerous arrhythmia affects more than 59 million people worldwide and can worsen over time if not treated early. As afib progresses and becomes more persistent, it can negatively impact heart function, overall health, and quality of life. While traditional ablation therapies have been used for afib treatment for decades, the Medtronic PulseSelect™ PFA System offers breakthrough technology with lower risks of complications.
Using pulsed electric fields to efficiently target, isolate, and eliminate triggers of the arrhythmia without extreme temperatures, PFA offers a novel approach that safely and effectively treats both paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation while reducing the risk of damage to surrounding tissue and structures. Traditional ablation therapies use thermal effects to form scar tissue within the heart, interrupting irregular electrical pathways and restoring normal heart rhythm. However, this method carries a higher risk of complications such as bleeding or perforation.
Cardiologist Alexander Hattoum, MD, who performed the first PFA procedures at FMC, stated that this new technology is a game changer for the safety and speed of atrial fibrillation ablations. It will allow for nearly doubling procedural volumes, particularly for paroxysmal afib patients, and enable quicker recovery times for patients. Atrial fibrillation can cause symptoms such as heart palpitations, fatigue, and shortness of breath
