CardioFocus announced that the HeartLight endoscopic ablation system (EAS) for the treatment of atrial fibrillation is now available in the United Kingdom. The first atrial fibrillation patients were treated at The Heart Hospital in London, and additional cases will take place throughout the month.
Edward Rowland and Oliver Segal, consultant cardiologists at The Heart Hospital, and Boris Schmidt of Cardioangiologisches Centrum Bethanien, Frankfurt, Germany, performed the procedures. The Heart Hospital is part of the University College London Hospitals Foundation Trust and anticipates HeartLight EAS could be used in up to half of the nearly 400 atrial fibrillation ablation procedures performed at the hospital every year.
HeartLight EAS is a unique catheter ablation technology that incorporates an illuminating endoscope to provide physicians with direct visualisation within a beating heart, in real time and without radiation. It also features a compliant, dynamically adjustable balloon catheter for improved contact with the pulmonary vein ostium and utilises laser energy for more efficient, precise ablation.
“With the addition of this important UK centre, we are continuing the introduction of HeartLight EAS to leading medical hubs across Europe. We are encouraged by the quick adoption of this technology by leaders in the electrophysiology community and are pleased to bring the possibility of a more durable, reproducible ablation option to an expanding number of atrial fibrillation practitioners and their patients,” Stephen Sagon, president and CEO of CardioFocus, said.
Recent data by S Dukkipati and VY Reddy have demonstrated that approximately 86% of pulmonary veins remained persistently isolated after three months following a single procedure with HeartLight EAS, with 65% of patients achieving durable freedom from atrial fibrillation. The technology is available at sites across Europe including Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic and will soon be the subject of a pivotal clinical trial in the United States.
