Holy Cross Health Now Offers FARAPULSE™ Pulsed Field Ablation to Treat Atrial Fibrillation

The newly approved equipment is found to be safer and more efficient 
than traditional ablations

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (September 5, 2024) – The cardiology team at Holy Cross Health recently performed their first procedure with the newly approved FARAPULSE™ Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) System to treat a patient with atrial fibrillation, the most common type of arrhythmia.

The FARAPULSE PFA System is a unique new alternative to standard-of-care thermal ablation. A non-thermal approach for the treatment of drug-refractory, recurrent, symptomatic, and paroxysmal (i.e., intermittent) atrial fibrillation (AF), it is proven to be an effective treatment option for patients while minimizing risks associated with thermal ablation. 

“Instead of using cold or heat energy, the FARAPULSE PFA System uses short bursts of high energy targeting the heart tissue which will lead to a normal rhythm,” explained Adrienne Wolfson MSN, BHA, R.N., CCRN, Executive Director Nursing Administration at Holy Cross Health. “It’s safer and faster than conventional ablations.”

During a traditional ablation procedure, a catheter is guided to the interior of the heart and generates extreme temperatures – hot or cold – to destroy targeted areas in the heart associated with abnormal heart rhythms. The FARAPULSE PFA System, however, relies on tissue selective, non-thermal electric fields to ablate heart tissue and avoid damage to surrounding structures. 

AF occurs when the top two chambers of the heart, the atria, beat too fast and with an irregular rhythm (fibrillation). The condition can decrease the heart’s pumping efficiency, which can cause blood cells to pool and stick together, forming clots in the heart, and lead to stroke. People with AF have a higher risk of stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications than those with normal heart rhythms. AF affects nearly 2% of the general population worldwide , and approximately seven million Americans live with this arrhythmia. An estimated 38 million people globally have AF^2. 

A 12-month randomized clinical trial was conducted that compared the efficacy and safety of the FARAPULSE PFA System to standard-of-care ablation. The study found the FARAPULSE PFA System to be as safe and effective as conventional thermal ablation, the procedure could be performed quicker and there was a shorter learning curve for physicians to learn how to operate the equipment. Additional real-world data from more than 17,000 patients show no reports of permanent phrenic nerve palsy, pulmonary vein stenosis or esophageal injury.

“This new technology gives us the ability to increase our procedure volume in a safer, more efficient way. We are excited to be able to accommodate our patients and the community by using PFA which is currently only offered in selective hospital systems at this time,” said Dani Echarte BSN, RN, CCRN-CSC Nurse Manager of the Heart and Vascular Program.

 

About Holy Cross Health

A member of Trinity Health, Fort Lauderdale-based Holy Cross Hospital, dba Holy Cross Health, is a full-service, not-for-profit, Catholic, teaching hospital operating in the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy. Holy Cross has been recognized for six Types of Care in U.S. News and World Report's 2024-25 Best Hospital rankings and was named among the 2024 America's Best-In-State Hospitals by Newsweek. Through strategic collaborations and a commitment to being a person-centered, transforming, healing presence, the 557-bed hospital offers progressive inpatient, outpatient and community outreach services and clinical research trials to serve as our community’s trusted health partner for life. Holy Cross Health also encompasses Holy Cross HealthPlex outpatient facility, an urgent care center and more than 40 Holy Cross Medical Group physician practices. To learn more about Holy Cross Health, visit holy-cross.com. Connect @holycrossfl.

 

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