September is National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month. Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is the most common irregular or abnormal sustained heart rhythm disorder, affecting more than 3 million Americans today. Thankfully, more options to treat atrial fibrillation are available than ever before.
Valley’s electrophysiology team continually adapts to the evolving landscape of AFib care to improve patient safety and outcomes. Committed to advancing care, our electrophysiologists consistently adopt and implement the latest treatment techniques. Three new technologies recently adopted by our team, include:
Watchman FLX Pro
The electrophysiology team now utilizes third-generation Watchman technology – the Watchman FLX™ Pro device – to treat nonvalvular AFib in patients seeking an alternative to anticoagulation therapy. This third-generation device is designed to advance procedural performance and enable therapy to a broader patient population.
Click here for more information about the Watchman FLX Pro.
Pulsed Field Ablation
The team now offers pulsed field ablation (PFA), using the Medtronic PulseSelectTM Pulsed Field Ablation System and Boston Scientific FaraPulseTM Pulsed Field Ablation System – as treatment options. PFA is an alternative to traditional thermal ablation techniques. PFA delivers precise pulsed electric fields through an ablation catheter designed specifically to interrupt irregular electrical pathways in the heart that trigger AFib. This technique efficiently isolates pulmonary veins, resulting in a lower risk of collateral tissue being impacted during treatment.
CommandEP
The team uses – in select cases – a new FDA-cleared holographic cardiac ablation visualization platform known as CommandEP manufactured by SentiAR. Physicians using the SentiAR system wear a pair of augmented reality glasses that display an interactive, intuitive, and hand-free view of the patient’s heart. This visual provides a three-dimensional view of the patient’s specific anatomy for operating physicians to view in real-time, guiding the procedure.
Click here for more information about CommandEP.
Together with you and your family, your care team works together to develop a customized care plan to treat your specific condition.
For more information about The Snyder Center for Comprehensive Atrial Fibrillation, please visit ValleyHealth.com/AFib.
About the Author
Dr. Mittal serves as Chair of the Cardiovascular Service Line for Valley Health System; Director of Electrophysiology for The Valley Hospital; Medical Director of The Snyder Center for Comprehensive Atrial Fibrillation at The Valley Hospital; and Director of Cardiac Research for Valley Health System.
