A Medical Breakthrough at Laniado Hospital: The First Innovative AFib Treatments in Israel Performed Successfully
Netanya, Israel – In a major breakthrough for the Israeli cardiology community, Laniado Hospital recently performed the country's first two atrial fibrillation (AFib) procedures using a pioneering, innovative technology. This unique medical advancement combines a balloon catheter with Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) energy for the first time.
Understanding AFib and Traditional Treatments
Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder. Repeated clinical studies have shown that maintaining a normal sinus rhythm significantly reduces morbidity and mortality rates in these patients. This rhythm control can be achieved either through antiarrhythmic medications or via catheter ablation (burning/freezing) to isolate the pulmonary veins, which connect to the left atrium and act as the trigger for AFib. Numerous studies have demonstrated that ablation offers superior efficacy and safety compared to long-term drug therapy.
Until recently, ablations relied on two primary thermal energies:
- Radiofrequency (RF) Energy: Achieves vein isolation by creating controlled heat burns.
- Cryo Energy: Uses a specialized cooling balloon (Cryoballoon) pressed against the tissue to isolate the veins through freezing.
The PFA Revolution: A Safer, Targeted Approach
Recently, advanced systems have introduced Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) to isolate pulmonary veins non-thermally. Instead of using extreme heat or cold, this technology delivers precise electrical pulses that create microscopic pores in the cell membranes (electroporation), effectively isolating the targeted heart cells. The key advantage of PFA is its tissue-selectivity: it is uniquely friendly to the patient, focusing exclusively on the targeted cardiac tissue while minimizing the risk of damage to surrounding structures. This cutting-edge method has rapidly gained momentum over the past two years across Europe and the United States.
For the first time in Israel, Laniado Hospital successfully performed two pulmonary vein isolation procedures using Abbott’s state-of-the-art VOLT™ PFA catheter. The device features an innovative design where an inflatable balloon is deployed inside a basket structured from 8 metallic ribs, through which the precise PFA energy is delivered.
Key Advantages of the VOLT™ PFA Catheter
The unique architecture of this catheter—combining a stabilizing balloon with metal strips that adapt perfectly to the tissue—provides several distinct advantages over standard catheters:
- Exceptional Success Rate: Demonstrates an 84% freedom from recurrence in paroxysmal AFib, with only 5.5% of patients requiring a repeat procedure. Full vein isolation was confirmed in 90% of cases.
- Faster Procedures: Reduces total procedure time by approximately 20%.
- No General Anesthesia: The procedure can be performed safely without putting the patient fully to sleep.
- Real-Time Feedback: Offers reliable contact force indication between the balloon and the tissue, ensuring optimal energy delivery directly to the target area.
- Enhanced Safety Profile: Unlike some alternative PFA catheters that carry a significant risk of hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells) which can lead to kidney failure, the VOLT™ PFA catheter showed zero evidence of hemolysis.
- Advanced Mapping Integration: Operates seamlessly with a dedicated 3D electroanatomical mapping system (EnSite X™), providing real-time verification of the ablation's effectiveness.
- Fewer Energy Applications: Requires only 2 to 3 energy pulses per vein, averaging just 18 pulses across all four pulmonary veins—compared to 24–48 pulses required by other systems.
Successful Treatment of High-Risk Patients
The initial procedures were performed last week on two highly complex patients suffering from multiple comorbidities, including diabetes, hypertension, and pre-existing cardiac diseases. Notably, one of the patients suffered from Persistent AFib—a condition whose treatment is widely considered particularly complex and challenging for medical teams.
Prof. Moshe Swissa, Director of the Electrophysiology Unit at Laniado Hospital, noted that the unit’s extensive experience with both cryoballoons and various PFA catheters allowed for a seamless transition. The VOLT™ PFA catheter completely fulfilled expectations, resulting in short, highly successful procedures with immediate validation of vein isolation achieved via the EnSite X mapping system.
The Electrophysiology Unit at Laniado offers advanced ablation therapies for a wide spectrum of arrhythmias, specializing in AFib. The adoption of this novel catheter allows the unit to significantly expand its treatment capabilities.
Hospital Leadership Celebrates the Milestone
Dr. Fabio Kusniec, Director of the Cardiology Department at Laniado Hospital, shared his excitement:
"The treatment of cardiac patients at Laniado Hospital continues to advance by leaps and bounds. We recently inaugurated our new, state-of-the-art Electrophysiology Lab, and we are thrilled to equip it with groundbreaking technologies that enable us to provide the highest standard of care. Congratulations to Prof. Swissa on this impressive achievement!"
Prof. Zvi Shimoni, Medical Director of Laniado Hospital, commended the entire electrophysiology team:
"We are proud to be the first medical center in Israel to bring the absolute forefront of global cardiovascular technology to our patients. This represents a monumental leap forward in treatment quality and safety, particularly for our most vulnerable, complex patients. My warmest congratulations go out to Prof. Moshe Swissa and the entire Electrophysiology Unit for leading the way in medical innovation in Israel."
