AF Ablation: Progress & Promise

Tremendous progress has been made in the field of ablation therapy for atrial fibrillation (AF) over the past several years, and numerous device-based technologies to address this underserved and rapidly growing patient population are under clinical development. Perhaps most exciting is the area of percutaneous AF ablation, which has evolved from a highly experimental therapy only a few years ago to what many leading electrophysiologists (EPs) now consider a mainstream treatment option for certain patients. But while there is no doubt that the number of catheter-based AF ablations is on the rise, the procedure remains very challenging and limited, for the most part, to highly experienced centers. The question now is whether technological advances and expanding clinical experience will enable percutaneous ablation to move from the hands of a select few EPs treating a carefully selected patient population into wider use.

Cardiac surgeons also are eager to offer treatment for the underserved AF population, and device manufacturers are aggressively targeting this space as well, seeking to expand AF surgical options from...