Fayetteville — Washington Regional recently became the first and only hospital in Northwest Arkansas to offer a new technology to treat patients with atrial fibrillation, also called AFib. The FARAPULSETM Pulsed Field Ablation System offers a new approach to cardiac ablation, a recommended treatment for AFib which has been offered by electrophysiologists at Washington Regional’s Walker Heart Institute for 25 years.
Atrial fibrillation is a type of irregular heartbeat caused when the upper chambers of the heart beat irregularly due to disorganized electrical signals in the heart. Symptoms of AFib include feeling dizzy or lightheaded, shortness of breath, fatigue and feeling like your heart is racing or fluttering. The condition can increase the risk of blood clots, stroke, heart failure and dementia. People who have symptoms of AFib after making recommended lifestyle changes may need a procedure called cardiac ablation.
Cardiac ablation targets and destroys the malfunctioning heart cells that cause the irregular rhythm. Traditionally, ablation was done by using hot or cold energy to burn or freeze malfunctioning cells. Pulsed field ablation works differently by delivering targeted pulses of intense energy to the malfunctioning cells.
During the procedure, a catheter is inserted into a vein in the heart. When the heart tissue that is causing the arrhythmia is located, energy pulses are sent through the catheter, making the tissue electrically silent and incapable of causing AFib.
“We are pleased to have performed the first cardiac ablation procedure in Northwest Arkansas using the FARAPULSETM Pulsed Field Ablation System,” said Dr. Yang Yang, an electrophysiologist with Washington Regional’s Electrophysiology Clinic, part of the Walker Heart Institute, who performs the procedure. “Cases of atrial fibrillation are on the rise, and such safe, effective and efficient therapies allow us to treat more patients and reduce complications.”
“Washington Regional’s Walker Heart Institute is the area’s leader in cardiovascular care,” said Washington Regional Chief Operating Officer Birch Wright. “Offering our patients this new treatment option right here in Northwest Arkansas is one more way we are fulfilling Washington Regional’s mission of improving the health of people in the communities we serve.”