The Hospital Clínic Barcelona has become the first hospital in Catalonia to introduce a new disruptive technology for performing ablation to treat atrial fibrillation: electroporation. The Arrhythmia Section, headed by Dr. Ivo Roca, has made a commitment to increase the number of ablations for atrial fibrillation, going from 150 procedures in 2021 to over 270 in 2023, in close collaboration with the rest of the Cardiology Service, headed by Dr. Ana García. This was made possible thanks to an optimization of the workflows and, above all, the incorporation of electroporation as an alternative to the existing energy sources: radiofrequency and cryoablation.
Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of arrhythmia in the general population, with a prevalence of more than 10% in people over 80 years of age. It has serious implications in terms of symptoms (palpitations, shortness of breath, etc.) and prognosis (risk of heart failure, stroke, etc.). At present, the isolation of the pulmonary veins (veins that reach the left side of the heart and are the focus of this arrhythmia in most patients) is successful in the long term in approximately 70-80% of cases. However, its expansion to more patients is limited by the fact that it requires procedures of a certain duration.
Electroporation is an energy source that, unlike radiofrequency and cryoablation, is selective for cardiac cells, thus decreasing the risk of complications. Moreover, this new source of energy allows procedures to be 30% faster. Although it should not be used with all patients (cryoablation and radiofrequency have other advantages depending on the patient’s characteristics), its expansion will allow more patients with atrial fibrillation to be treated.
Since it was introduced to the hospital in mid-2023, this technology has allowed dozens of patients to be treated, and in the coming weeks will make it the first hospital in Catalonia to reach 100 procedures.
The Arrhythmia Section at the Hospital Clínic Barcelona has a long tradition in the treatment of and research into atrial fibrillation, exemplified among other things by the presence of a specific Atrial Fibrillation Unit, headed by Dr. Josep Lluís Mont.
