MUHC proposes new intervention against atrial fibrillation

MONTREAL — McGill University Health Center (MUHC) is the first medical center in Quebec to offer a new intervention believed to be faster, more effective and safer for treating atrial fibrillation, the most common form of cardiac arrhythmia.

Pulsed field ablation, as the name suggests, involves emitting pulsed electrical fields to interrupt the irregular electrical signals that cause atrial fibrillation.

“We can administer the entire course of treatment in a split second,” said MUHC Director of Cardiology Dr Atul Verma.

By comparison, he continues, traditional interventions using thermal energy can last two or three minutes. Thus, the new technology can reduce the overall procedure time by 30 to 50%, thereby reducing the time a patient spends under general anesthesia or deep sedation, he explained.

The patient can potentially be discharged from the hospital the same day as the procedure, rather than having to stay overnight. Pulsed field ablation also reduces the risk of damage to other organs, such as the esophagus or lungs, that accompanies the traditional procedure, Dr. Verma added.

Atrial fibrillation can be treated with antiarrhythmic drugs, but nearly half of patients will require a minimally invasive procedure to ablate the heart tissue causing the arrhythmia.

“I think this method will replace all current methods within three or four years,” Dr. Verma predicted. I truly believe that this technique represents a great advancement for our practice.

Dr. Verma led a global, multicenter clinical trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Medtronic’s PulseSelect pulsed field ablation system. The results, published by the prestigious medical journal Circulation, prompted Health Canada to approve the technology. On April 17, the first patient was operated on at MUHC, in addition to clinical trials.

Atrial fibrillation occurs as a result of disruption of 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 death.

It is estimated that this problem affects more than sixty million people worldwide. In Canada, it affects more than 5% of people aged 65 years and older.