Kokilaben Hospital Performs Western India's First Pulsed Field Ablation Procedure
On June 16, medical teams at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai successfully performed the first Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) procedure in Western India to treat a 62-year-old woman suffering from atrial fibrillation. The landmark procedure introduces an advanced cardiac technology to Maharashtra, offering a safer and faster recovery option for patients with severe heart rhythm disorders.
The 62-year-old patient had lived with an irregular heartbeat for nearly two months. Despite taking medication to stabilise her rhythm, the prescribed drugs slowed her heart to dangerously low rates, and her heart continued to fibrillate unpredictably.
Following the procedure on June 16, the patient experienced a rapid recovery and was discharged the next morning. She is expected to resume her normal daily activities within a week.
The procedure was completed in under 90 minutes using the Medtronic PulseSelect Pulsed Field Ablation System. This represents a time reduction of nearly 60 per cent compared to conventional ablation techniques, which typically use heat (radiofrequency) or cold (cryotherapy).
Unlike older methods that destroy abnormal heart tissue with extreme temperatures, PFA delivers rapid bursts of high-energy electrical pulses of approximately 1,500 volts sustained for microseconds. This process, known as electroporation, selectively destroys the abnormal cardiac cells triggering irregular signals while leaving adjacent tissues undamaged.
Dr. Venkat D Nagarajan, Consultant Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist, and Group Lead for Heart Rhythm and Cardiac Device Services at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, highlighted the significance of the technology.
"Pulsed Field Ablation marks a significant advancement in the treatment of atrial fibrillation," Dr. Nagarajan said. "By using high-energy electrical pulses to selectively target abnormal heart tissue, the technology offers a safer and more efficient alternative to conventional ablation methods."
The patient expressed relief at her rapid recovery, noting that the palpitations had disrupted her daily life for months and that she did not expect to walk out of the hospital the day after the procedure.
Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder globally, causing the heart's upper chambers to beat chaotically and raising the risk of strokes.
