Pulse technology promises an atrial fibrillation treatment upgrade

Potentially fatal heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation — the most common type of heart rhythm disorder in Australia — occurs when the upper chambers of the heart beat out of rhythm with the lower chambers; blood is not pumped efficiently to the rest of the body, causing an unusually fast heart rate, and quivering or thumping sensations in the heart. Now, pulse technology that Epworth Richmond started using in February — the Affera Cardiac Mapping and Ablation System by Medtronic — has promise in treating the disorder and may also allow patients to reduce medications.

“This technology is an important upgrade to treat atrial fibrillation. Procedures can take just an hour, compared with up to four hours, which means less time under anaesthesia,” heart rhythm specialist cardiologist Dr Andrei Catanchin said. “Recovery may also be faster with some patients returning to work after several days, and we expect it will allow many patients to reduce amounts of medication which often have side effects. It may also prevent clot formation which can be a risk for patients.”

Atrial fibrillation was previously treated by heat or cold ablation. Under the new system, a catheter is inserted via the leg up to the heart to deliver pulsed-field energy to destroy abnormal cells causing the arrhythmia. The targeted tissue is able to be precisely treated via high-definition 3D mapping technology. “The previous treatments used heat which caused some burning and discomfort after, but this time I felt no pain at all,” said patient Jennifer Flanagan, 72, who has had atrial fibrillation since 2001.

Image: Dr Andrei Catanchin. (Supplied)