Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Jul;24(7):793-799.
doi: 10.1007/s11886-022-01697-2. Epub 2022 May 24.

Pulsed Field Ablation: a Novel Therapeutic Tool for Catheter-Based Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation

Andrew E Darby  1
Affiliations
Review

Pulsed Field Ablation: a Novel Therapeutic Tool for Catheter-Based Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation

Andrew E Darby. Curr Cardiol Rep. 2022 Jul.

Abstract

Purpose of review: With catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation becoming increasingly common, the field of electrophysiology is searching for tools to improve procedural efficacy and safety. This review focuses on a novel ablation tool, pulsed field ablation, which promises to push the needle forward. Pulsed field ablation uses high-frequency electrical pulses to ablate cardiac tissue.

Recent findings: A number of pre-clinical and clinical studies have shown pulsed field ablation offers an efficient means of ablating cardiac tissue with minimal risk of collateral injury. Pulsed field ablation provides a non-thermal means of cardiac tissue ablation with minimal risk of injury to adjacent structures. Future studies will define the optimal current delivery, number of lesions needed to achieve the desired tissue effect, and how best to integrate pulsed field ablation catheters into 3-dimensional mapping systems.

Keywords: Arrhythmia; Atrial fibrillation; Cardiac; Catheter ablation; Electroporation; Pulsed field ablation.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance
    1. Calkins H, Hindricks G, Cappato R, Kim YH, Saad EB, Aguinaga L, et al. 2017 HRS/EHRA/ECAS/APHRS/SOLAECE expert consensus statement on catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation. Heart Rhythm. 2017;14(10):e275–444. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrthm.2017.05.012 . - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Packer DL, Mark DB, Robb RA, Monahan KH, Bahnson TD, Poole JE, et al. Effect of catheter ablation vs antiarrhythmic drug therapy on mortality, stroke, bleeding, and cardiac arrest among patients with atrial fibrillation. JAMA. 2019;321(13):1261–74. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2019.0693 . - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Marrouche NF, Brachmann J, Andresen D, Siebels J, Boersma L, Jordaens L, et al. Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation with heart failure. N Engl J Med. 2018;378:417–27. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1707855 . - DOI - PubMed
    1. Andrade JG, Wells GA, Deyell MW, Bennett M, Essebag V, Champagne J, et al. Cryoablation or drug therapy for initial treatment of atrial fibrillation. N Engl J Med. 2021;384:305–15. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2029980 . - DOI - PubMed
    1. Callans DJ, Gerstenfeld EP, Dixit S, Zado E, Vanderhoff M, Ren JF, et al. Efficacy of repeat pulmonary vein isolation procedures in patient with recurrent atrial fibrillation. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol. 2004;15:1050–5. https://doi.org/10.1046/j1540-8167.2004.04052.x . - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources