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Review
. 2019 Jul;16(7):1112-1120.
doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2019.01.012. Epub 2019 Jan 11.

Pulsed electric fields for cardiac ablation and beyond: A state-of-the-art review

Elad Maor  1 , Alan Sugrue  2 , Chance Witt  2 , Vaibhav R Vaidya  2 , Christopher V DeSimone  2 , Samuel J Asirvatham  3 , Suraj Kapa  4
Affiliations
Review

Pulsed electric fields for cardiac ablation and beyond: A state-of-the-art review

Elad Maor et al. Heart Rhythm. 2019 Jul.

Abstract

Irreversible electroporation (IRE) occurs when a strong, pulsed electric field (PEF) causes permeabilization of the cell membrane, leading to cellular homeostasis disruption and cell death. IRE is a Food and Drug Administration-approved treatment of tumor ablation and has been gaining attention in cardiology as an ablation modality. Applications of PEF in cardiology are vast and include atrial fibrillation, ventricular fibrillation, septal ablation, and targeting vascular structures. PEF has appealing characteristics, including the ability to be tissue specific and its nonthermal nature. This review provides information on the biophysics and mechanisms of IRE, summarizes key studies and applications to date, and provides insight into future applications.

Keywords: Ablation; Electroporation; Irreversible electroporation; Pulsed electric fields; Radiofrequency.

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