Company insight
Pulsed-field ablation: A major upgrade in treating irregular heartbeats
Pulsed-field ablation (PFA) is revolutionary for correcting irregular heartbeats by precisely targeting faulty cardiac tissue. Alleima, a leading partner of best-in-class medical device OEMs, plays a critical role in the development of PFA by providing top-quality designs, a wide range of precision manufacturing capabilities and complex component solutions.
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rregular heart rhythms, or arrhythmias, affect millions of people worldwide and range from benign conditions to serious, life-threatening disorders. Left untreated, arrhythmias can increase the risk of strokes, heart failure or sudden death. However, advances in medical technology have significantly improved the scope of treatments. One of the most promising developments in recent years is pulsed- field ablation (PFA), a non-thermal method that uses electrical pulses to neutralise problematic cardiac tissue while preserving surrounding structures. Unlike traditional techniques, PFA offers speed, precision and safety, heralding a new era in arrhythmia care. Uses of PFA are increasing in
electrophysiology (EP) ablation procedures. GlobalData estimates suggest that around 1.7 million EP procedures took place in 2024, with 20% involving PFA. Yet by 2030, PFA use in EP ablation procedures is projected to account for 75–80% of cases.
What is PFA? To understand the advantages offered by PFA, it is essential to grasp the basics of arrhythmia treatment. The heart’s electrical system relies on precise signalling to maintain its regular rhythm. When this signalling is disrupted, the result is an irregular heartbeat.
Ablation procedures aim to target and destroy the small areas of cardiac tissue responsible for the erratic signals, restoring normal function. Historically, these procedures relied on either heat (radiofrequency ablation) or extreme cold (cryoablation) to achieve this goal. While
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Alleima’s solutions are essential for energy transmission and temperature sensing in medical applications.
effective, these methods come with risks such as collateral damage to surrounding structures, particularly in sensitive areas such as the oesophagus or the phrenic nerve. In contrast, PFA represents a leap forward in safety and efficacy. Using
high-voltage, short-duration electrical pulses, PFA induces electroporation – a process where cell membranes are temporarily permeabilised, leading to cell death in the targeted tissue. The technique is uniquely selective, affecting cardiac muscle cells while sparing nearby nerves, blood vessels and other non-target tissues. This selectivity reduces the likelihood of complications and enhances patient recovery times.
Alleima supports your device development from wire forming to laser processing and surface treatment.
How PFA works Catheters used in PFA are designed with advanced materials to ensure precision and reliability. One critical advancement is the use of a nitinol core, an alloy of nickel and titanium known for its shape memory and super-elasticity. This unique property allows the catheter to navigate the intricate anatomy of the heart with ease, with the material returning to its original shape after bending or twisting. The flexibility ensures that the device can reach and treat problematic areas effectively.
Medical Device Developments /
www.medicaldevice-developments.com
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