Huntington Health Performs First Pulsed Field Ablation in the San Gabriel Valley

Recently, the cardiovascular team at Huntington Health, a Cedars-Sinai affiliate, successfully performed its first Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA), a new procedure that corrects the irregular heartbeat associated with atrial fibrillation (AFib) through electrical pulses. Led by Jesus Vazquez, MD, Huntington Health, this procedure created by Boston Scientific significantly expands Huntington’s electrophysiology offerings.   

“I am thrilled that our team has achieved this major milestone,” said Dr. Vazquez. “It is a great honor to be among the first to offer this highly advanced, new standard of care that will help countless patients with AFib in our community and across the globe.”

An estimated six million Americans are affected by AFib, which can cause blood clots to form, leading to stroke. FARAPULSE™ PFA System is increasingly being offered to patients with AFib who want to control their heartbeat but haven’t had success with medications. Although other methods that use cold or heat can be highly effective based on the type of AFib (e.g., Cryoablation, or freezing heart tissue, is effective for paroxysmal, or infrequent and sporadic, AFib), PFA offers patients an additional option which can minimize potential risks to surrounding tissues, depending on the patient’s unique clinical needs. The procedure uses electrical pulses to “zap” and stop the parts of the heart that cause the abnormal rhythm without damaging other tissues nearby. PFA is part of an expanded set of ablation tools, allowing physicians to choose the most appropriate method—whether cold, heat, or electrical pulses—based on each patient’s condition and treatment goals.

Mayer Rashtian, MD, medical director of the cardiac electrophysiology department at Huntington Hospital, has also started performing PFAs. “With this new technology, we are now utilizing PFA, Radiofrequency (RF) Ablation, Cryoablation and traditional RF Ablation,” said Dr. Rashtian. “I’m proud to be a part of the first and only hospital in the San Gabriel Valley to provide such a comprehensive range of ablation technologies.”

Over 40,000 patients have undergone the FARAPULSE™ PFA System worldwide. To learn more about the procedure, visit: https://www.bostonscientific.com/en-US/products/catheters–ablation/farapulse.html