Delray Medical Center completes its 150^th FARAPULSE™ Pulsed Filed Ablation system, a device approved earlier this year to teat atrial fibrillation, the most common type of heart arrhythmia. The milestone procedure was completed by Dr. Yoel Vivas, who also completed the first case in April this year. Delray Medical Center was the first hospital in Palm Beach County to utilize this new technology.

“In less than six months, we have already been able to help 150 patients with this innovative technology, which is incredibly rewarding,” said the hospital’s CEO Heather Havericak. “This is a tribute to our incredible team who are all focused on quality patient outcomes. This mark underscores Delray Medical Center’s commitment to investing in medical technology.”

The FARAPULSE PFA System, which is manufactured by Boston Scientific, received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in January. The new system offers an alternative treatment for atrial fibrillation than traditional thermal ablation, in which a catheter placed in the interior of the heart generates extreme temperatures – hot or cold – to destroy targeted areas in the heart associated with abnormal heart rhythms. Instead, the FARAPULSE PFA System relies on tissue-selective, non-thermal electric fields to ablate heart tissue and avoid damage to surrounding structures.

Atrial fibrillation occurs when the top two chambers of the heart, the atria, beat too fast and with an irregular rhythm (fibrillation). It can decrease the heart’s pumping efficiency, which can cause blood cells to pool and stick together, forming clots in the heart, and lead to stroke. People with atrial fibrillation have a higher risk of stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications than those with normal heart rhythms.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 12.1 million people in the U.S. will have atrial fibrillation in 2030. The increased prevalence of atrial fibrillation in the population is believed to result from the aging of the population, improvements in coronary care, and the rising prevalence of risk factors such as diabetes.