COOKEVILLE REGIONAL TREATS ITS FIRST PATIENT WITH NOVEL ATRIAL FIBRILLATION TREATMENT

Cookeville Regional Medical Center is pleased to announce the treatment of its first patient with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Medtronic PulseSelect™ Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) System that uses PFA – a breakthrough technology that uses pulsed electric fields to treat atrial fibrillation (AF) – for the treatment of patients with paroxysmal or persistent AF.

“AF is a growing cardiac concern worldwide, and we are seeing more patients coming in looking for treatment,” said Dr. Mark Wathen, electrophysiologist at Cookeville Regional Medical Center. “The PulseSelect PFA system can provide patients with a treatment option that doesn’t cause unwanted injury to surrounding tissues like traditional ablation technologies – helping physicians put patient safety first, which is our biggest priority. We are pleased to have treated our first patient successfully with this new technology, and they are doing well. We look forward to helping advance the future of AF treatment by offering innovative solutions to the people of the Upper Cumberland region.”

AF is a progressive condition that affects more than 59 million people worldwide. Without early intervention, AF can progress and become more sustained over time. Progression of AF is associated with a higher rate of cardiovascular admissions, heart failure, and mortality, along with a reduced quality of life.

The PulseSelect Pulse Field Ablation (PFA) system delivers pulsed electric fields through an ablation catheter designed specifically to interrupt irregular electrical pathways in the heart that trigger AF. Current ablation technologies rely on thermal effects to target cardiac tissue and risk damage to additional collateral structures in the heart. PFA is a breakthrough ablation technology that uses pulsed electric fields to efficiently isolate the pulmonary veins for the treatment of AF. Because the mechanism of cell death is non-thermal, the risk of collateral structure damage is potentially lower.

“Any Atrial fibrillation patient can discuss with their physician for candidacy,” said Dr. Wathen.