CardioFocus has announced new data from the first patients treated with the HeartLight system in the Netherlands, showing high acute pulmonary vein isolation rates of 98% and up to 78% of patients remaining free from AF after six months of follow-up. The study was presented at the Netherlands Society of Cardiology (NVVC) Congress, 4–5 October.
Investigator Arif Elvan, of Isala Klinieken in Zwolle, The Netherlands said: “Since adopting the HeartLight technology at our centre, we have achieved consistently high acute patient outcomes, with very promising durable results to date in treating both paroxysmal and persistent AF. We have found that the novel design of the system, which allows physicians to see inside the beating heart throughout the procedure, contributes to the ease of use and overall reproducibility of the ablation procedure. These benefits have been validated through the positive patient results presented at the Congress.”
In the prospective study, 40 patients (33 with paroxysmal AF, 7 with persistent AF) with mean AF duration of 7.7 years underwent a single pulmonary vein isolation procedure using the HeartLight system. Researchers achieved acute isolation in 98% of veins (157/160), with 73% of patients (24/33) remaining free from AF after at least three months follow-up and 78% (14/18) free from AF after at least six months follow-up.
“The introduction of our technology at Isala Klinieken late last year was a milestone for the company as we continue to expand throughout Europe and Australia. We are particularly encouraged by the consistent, positive outcomes achieved by Dr Elvan and his team in their very first patient series,” said Stephen Sagon, president and CEO, CardioFocus.
