Comparing Atrial Fibrillation Treatments

Afib Ablation

If you have Atrial fibrillation and it’s impacting your quality of life, catheter ablation of AFib may be the procedure of choice for you.

AFib ablation is a procedure where the goal is to try to eliminate the triggers of AFib, which most commonly come from the pulmonary veins within the left atrium. Our goal is to ablate the tissue around the pulmonary veins with either heat or cold technology to isolate the triggers.

Ablation of atrial fibrillation has been performed in the United States for a little over twenty years, and many clinical trials have shown its safety. Success rates have continued to improve as technology, technique, and physicians’ experience have improved.

Although we have extensive experience with ablation of Atrial fibrillation using radiofrequency or cryo technology, there is still a risk of collateral damage because the heat or cold can transmit to structures adjacent to the heart, such as the esophagus or nerves.

A new technology called Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) has already been tested in many clinical trials in the United States and is now commercially approved in Europe, where it is gaining traction very fast. It should soon be approved in the United States, where clinical trials have already been published, showing good results with efficiency and a good safety profile.