Pulsed Field Ablation Transforms Patient Wait Time, Recovery

NKCH is one of the first hospitals in the area to embrace pulse field ablation. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration in late 2023 and installed at NKCH in June, the machine has already cut patient wait times from three months to less than one month.

The FARAPULSE™ Pulsed Field Ablation System provides nonthermal atrial fibrillation treatment with reduced damage to surrounding tissue and a consistent workflow that is easily reproduced. From a volume perspective, procedures that used to be scheduled for four to five hours are now completed in 60 minutes to two hours.

“This is the biggest advancement in the EP (electrophysiology) world in more than 20 years,” said Scott Chapman, MD, Meritas Health cardiologist. “I’ve had patients who needed ablation but waited so they could receive PFA. They can go home the same day and the procedure is safer than other ablation sources. I don’t know why anyone would use anything else.”

With a second interventional cardiologist joining the staff this fall, Dr. Chapman hopes to reduce patient wait times to less than a week and free up time for more intricate procedures.