O’FALLON — HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital recently added a new technology to help treat atrial fibrillation (AF). The FARAPULSE™ Pulsed Field Ablation System is a unique alternative to thermal ablation, the traditional treatment for AF.
In a typical ablation procedure, a catheter is placed inside the heart and generates extreme temperatures – hot or cold – to destroy the areas causing abnormal heart rhythms. The FARAPULSE PFA System, however, is less invasive and uses a non-thermal electric field to disable atrial heart tissue, the tissue that is responsible for triggering atrial fibrillation, without harming surrounding structures.
“With atrial fibrillation diagnoses on the rise, we’re able to use this new technology at St. Elizabeth’s to treat patients safely and effectively,” said Dr. Paban Saha, director of St. Elizabeth’s electrophysiology division. “This equipment is used effectively around the world and now allows us to treat more local patients faster, while providing a safer method of ablations to reduce complications and improve patients’ overall health. We are proud to be the first in the metro east area to offer this life changing technology.”
Physicians at HSHS St. Elizabeth’s began performing surgeries with the FARAPULSE PFA System in mid-July.
For more information about Cardiovascular services at HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, visit hshs.org/prairie-heart.
