Cluj premiere: First atrial fibrillation ablations using the Volt PFA system performed at the Clinical Rehabilitation Hospital

Three patients with atrial fibrillation were treated at the Clinical Rehabilitation Hospital in Cluj-Napoca using pulsed field ablation. According to the hospital, the Abbott Volt PFA catheter was used for the first time in Romania.

The Electrophysiology Laboratory team within the Cardiology Department of the Clinical Rehabilitation Hospital in Cluj-Napoca has performed Romania’s first atrial fibrillation ablation procedures using the Volt PFA catheter.

Three procedures were carried out during the first session and were completed successfully, according to the hospital. The interventions were performed with the support of a team from Budapest, including Dr Nándor Szegedi, who served as proctor, and Volt system expert János Székely.

The hospital did not provide information about the patients’ ages, clinical conditions or post-procedural outcomes.

What is pulsed field ablation?

Pulsed field ablation, or PFA, is a method used to selectively destroy cardiac tissue that triggers or maintains an arrhythmia.

Unlike thermal techniques such as radiofrequency ablation or cryoablation, PFA uses short, high-intensity electrical pulses. These produce irreversible electroporation in the cells within the targeted area, without relying primarily on heating or freezing the tissue.

The technology is designed to act selectively on myocardial tissue and reduce the exposure of structures located near the heart to thermal energy. However, the procedure remains invasive, and the choice of ablation technique must be based on each patient’s characteristics and the experience of the medical centre.

The European Society of Cardiology guideline on atrial fibrillation includes catheter ablation among the rhythm-control options for selected patients, depending on the type of arrhythmia, symptoms, previous treatments and therapeutic objectives.

The catheter performs ablation around the pulmonary veins

Atrial fibrillation is frequently associated with abnormal electrical impulses originating in the area where the pulmonary veins connect to the left atrium. One of the main stages of the ablation procedure is the electrical isolation of the pulmonary veins, preventing abnormal signals from triggering the arrhythmia.

The Abbott Volt PFA system uses a balloon-in-basket catheter to deliver electrical pulses to the targeted area. The device can be integrated with an electroanatomical mapping system, which helps physicians visualise and assess the heart’s electrical activity.

The Volt catheter and its generator have received CE marking, allowing them to be used in the European Union in accordance with the indications and requirements established by the manufacturer.

The hospital also plans to introduce a system using two types of energy

Representatives of the Clinical Rehabilitation Hospital in Cluj-Napoca announced that further interventional procedures are planned using the Affera system developed by Medtronic.

The Affera system, together with the Sphere-9 catheter, combines electroanatomical mapping with two ablation modalities: pulsed field energy and radiofrequency energy.

The ability to select between the two energy sources during the same procedure enables physicians to adapt the type of ablation to the area and tissue being treated. Outcomes for patients undergoing these procedures will be assessed through medium- and long-term clinical follow-up.

By introducing the new systems, the Cardiology Department of the Clinical Rehabilitation Hospital in Cluj-Napoca says it aims to expand the interventional treatment options available to patients with cardiac arrhythmias.