Austin, Texas-based St. David's Medical Center electrophysiologists were the first in the nation to use a novel pulsed field ablation system for patients with paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation.
The system delivers short-duration, high-energy electrical pulses to the cardiac tissue to destroy cells causing irregular heart rhythms without using excess heat or cold, which can damage surrounding tissue, according to an April 9 system news release.
The first procedure was performed by Andrea Natale, MD, cardiac electrophysiologist and executive medical director of the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute in St. David's, and Amin Al-Ahmad, MD, clinical cardiac electrophysiologist.