The Ridgewood-based Valley Hospital recently said it is treating the first patient in New Jersey, and one of the first in the U.S., with a new, outpatient, FDA-approved approach that uses pulsed electrical fields, rather than thermal ablation, for patients with atrial fibrillation.
The technology is called the PulseSelect Pulsed Field Ablation System and is manufactured by Medtronic.
The procedure was performed by Dr. Suneet Mittal, director of electrophysiology at the Valley Hospital, and medical director of the Snyder Center for Comprehensive Atrial Fibrillation at the Valley Hospital. Mittal is also chair of the Cardiovascular Service Line for Valley Health System.
The PulseSelect PFA system sends pulsed electric fields through an ablation catheter designed specifically to interrupt irregular electrical pathways in the heart that trigger AFib. Current ablation technologies rely on thermal effects to target cardiac tissue. PFA’s pulsed electric fields efficiently isolate pulmonary veins. This approach, rather than thermal ablation, can result in a lower risk of collateral tissue being impacted during treatment.
“Atrial fibrillation is a growing cardiac concern worldwide and we are seeing more patients coming in looking for treatment,” Mittal said. “The PulseSelect PFA system provides patients with a treatment option that reduces the potential for unwanted injury to surrounding tissue, which can occur with traditional ablation technologies. We are pleased to have treated our first patient with this new technology, and we look forward to helping many others with this approach.”
According to the American Heart Association, more than 12 million Americans are expected to develop atrial fibrillation by the end of the decade. AFib is a serious condition that should not be left untreated. It can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications.
If you or a loved one have AFib, you can contact Valley’s Snyder Center for Comprehensive Atrial Fibrillation at 201-447-8392 to learn about the PulseSelect PFA system and other treatment options available.
