Connecticut hospital uses breakthrough technology to treat AFib
Photo courtesy of Saint Francis Hospital.
More than 5 million people in America are living with atrial fibrillation, a quivering or irregular heartbeat that can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications, according to the American Heart Association. By 2030, projections indicate that about 12 million people will have AFib, an increase due to the growing number of older adults in the U.S.
In late 2024, Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford, Conn., treated its first patient with pulsed-field ablation (PFA), a new technology that delivers pulsed electric fields to tissue to manage AFib. The FDA in December 2023 approved the first PFA system (PulseSelect, Medtronic) for treating paroxysmal and persistent AFib.
Current ablation technologies use heat, risking damage to adjacent structures in the heart. PFA is a breakthrough technology that isolates the pulmonary veins for the treatment of AFib. “Because the mechanism of cell death is nonthermal, the risk of collateral structure damage is potentially lower,” notes a Saint Francis Hospital press release.
William Gionfriddo, M.D., an electrophysiologist at Saint Francis, sees the novel technology as another way to innovate and improve patient care. “By adding this offering to our toolbox, we can look forward to helping advance the future of AFib treatment to people in the greater Hartford region,” Gionfriddo said.