The McGill University Health Center (MUHC) is the first health center in Quebec to offer a new intervention that is said to be faster, more effective and safer to resolve a problem with atrial fibrillation, the most common form of Cardiac arrythmia.
Pulsed field ablation, as its name suggests, emits pulsed electric fields to interrupt the irregular electrical signals that cause atrial fibrillation.
“We can apply an entire treatment in a fraction of a second,” described the director of the Cardiology Division of the MUHC, Doctor Atul Verma.
In comparison, he continues, traditional interventions that use thermal energy can last two or three minutes. The new technology could therefore reduce the total duration of the procedure by 30 to 50%, thereby reducing the time the patient spends under general anesthesia or deep sedation, he explained.
The patient could potentially be discharged from the hospital the same day as the procedure, rather than having to spend the night there. Pulsed field ablation also reduces the risk of damage to other organs, such as the esophagus or lungs, which accompanies the traditional procedure, added Dr. Verma.
Atrial fibrillation can be treated with antiarrhythmic medications, but almost half of patients will require a minimally invasive procedure that aims to ablate the tissue in the heart causing the arrhythmia.
“I think this technique will replace all current techniques within three or four years,” predicted Dr. Verma. I really think that this technique represents a big progress for our practice. »
Dr. Verma led a global multicenter clinical study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Medtronic’s PulseSelect pulsed field ablation system. Published by the prestigious medical journal Circulation, the results prompted Health Canada to approve the technology. A first patient was then operated on at the MUHC, outside of clinical trials, on April 17.
Atrial fibrillation results from a disruption in the heart’s electrical signals and is characterized by an irregular and often very fast heart rate. This disorder increases the risk of stroke, heart failure and the risk of death.
The problem is estimated to affect more than sixty million people around the world. In Canada, more than 5% of people aged 65 and over suffer from it.