UHCW becomes third UK centre to use Pulse Field Ablation to treat atrial fibrillation

The Cardiology team at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust has broken new ground after carrying out their first Pulse Field Ablation (PFA) cases.

UHCW is only the third UK centre to use the novel technology to treat patients with the heart condition atrial fibrillation (AF).

PulseSelect uses a non-thermal approach to preferentially target the pulmonary veins for ablation, avoiding unwanted injury to surrounding structures such as the gullet and phrenic nerve.

Although the current risk of that happening is low, research showed the new technology improved safety even further.

Consultant Cardiologist, Dr Sandeep Panikker, said “PFA has the advantage of delivering very rapid energy to get isolation of the tissues within the heart that we are electrically trying to isolate.

“We hope this procedure will result in fewer complications and allow more people to go home and enjoy a higher quality of life.”

AF is the most common heart rhythm disturbance, affecting around 1.4 million people in the UK. It is more common in older people but cam impact adults of any age.

It can cause debilitating and life limiting symptoms such as palpitations, breathlessness and fatigue.

AF is also more likely to occur in people with other conditions, such as high blood pressure (hypertension), atherosclerosis or a heart valve problem.

Ian Jenkins, who was diagnosed with the condition two years ago, was the first UHCW patient to undergo the procedure.

“I was glad to get it done and the team who looked after me both during the procedure and afterwards were fantastic,” said the 68-year-old, from Rugby.

“I suffer from shortness of breath mostly and the past six months it seems to have got worse and worse. I like to get out and do some walking, so hopefully I will be able to get back to doing that soon.”

Consultant Cardiologist, Professor Faizel Osman, said: “We have a great team here at UHCW who are always looking to use the latest innovations to help get better outcomes for our patients.”