Atrial fibrillation, commonly known as Afib, is a progressive disease that occurs when the heart’s upper chambers beat out of rhythm, resulting in blood not being pumped efficiently throughout the body. Afib complications can result in stroke and heart failure. According to the American Heart Association, one in four people aged 40 and older are at risk of developing Afib.
“We usually do an ablation procedure, which is a procedure where we go inside the heart and cauterize these abnormal circuits.”
Dr. Wassim Jawad and his team performed the first dual energy ablation procedure in West Michigan at the Fred and Lena Meijer Heart Center in Grand Rapids.
“Now, with pulsed field ablation, we’re able to deliver high-voltage electrical shocks to the heart, and that’s been revolutionary.”
Before pulsed field ablation, one treatment option involved freezing or burning heart tissue with a catheter, which risked damaging adjacent heart structures. Pulsed field ablation removes this risk.
“Having this one tool that can deliver both pulsed field and radio frequency, as well as create a high-density electrical map all with one tool, really streamlines the procedure.”
The new technology was created by Aferra, a Medtronic company.
For a weekly dose of news right to your inbox, sign up for the WGVU newsletter.
