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Atrial Fibrillation

Understanding your diagnosis and treatment options


A healthy heart beats at a steady rhythm. If abnormal electrical signals disturb the regular contractions, it can lose the rhythm and start beating irregularly or too fast. This is known as arrhythmia.

The most common form of arrhythmia is atrial fibrillation (also referred to as AFib or AF).

59 million people affected by Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is a growing problem.   
Globally, the number of people affected increased from 33.5 million to 59 million between 2010 and 2019¹ 

Learn more about atrial fibrillation

What does AF feel like? 

Patients describe the feeling of AF differently – they talk about palpitations, their heart racing out of control or a „quivering“ or „flopping” sensation.

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“My heart flip-flops, skips beats, and feels like it’s banging against my chest wall, especially if I’m carrying stuff up my stairs or bending down.”

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“I was nauseated, light- headed, and weak. I had a really fast heartbeat andfelt like I was gasping for air.”

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“I had no symptoms at all. I discovered my AFib at a regular check-up. I’m glad we found it early.”

 Is AF dangerous?

 People with AF can have up to a 5x increased risk of stroke,2,3 which is when a blood clot forms and travels to the brain, where it can cause long-term damage or even death.

Because of the risk of stroke, it's important that anyone who thinks they may have experienced AF doesn't ignore their symptoms and seeks medical advice. 

Learn more about symptoms of AF and how it is diagnosed

 Can AF be treated?

 A variety of treatment options are available for AF. Some treatments focus on managing the risk of stroke while others, such as cardiac ablation, treat the underlying cause of AF.  

While traditional cardiac ablation relies on extreme heat or cold (thermal ablation), a more recent technique called pulsed field ablation (PFA) using the FARAPULSE™ System has been specifically designed to avoid the risks associated with thermal ablation. 

more than 125K patients treated

The FARAPULSE™ PFA System is a flower-shaped device precisely engineered to adapt to the shape of the target anatomical structures in the heart. It can treat the symptoms of AF via a minimally invasive procedure that typically lasts around one hour.⁵⁻⁹


REFERENCES:

1. Linz D, Gawalko M, Betz K, et al. Atrial fibrillation: epidemiology, screening and digital health. Lancet Reg Health Eur. 2024; 1;37:100786. doi: 10.1016/ j.lanepe.2023.100786.
2. ESC Press Office. Atrial fibrillation set to affect more than 14 million over-65s in the EU by 2060. European Society of Cardiology.2019.
https://www.escardio.org/The-ESC/Press-Office/Press-releases/Atrial-fibrillation-set-to-affect-more-than-14-million-over-65s-in-the-EU-by-2060
3. The Stroke Association. Atrial fibrillation (AF) and stroke
https://www.stroke.org.uk/atrial_fibrillation_and_stroke_guide.pdf. Accessed July 2024.
4. Data on file. Boston Scientific.
5. Schmidt B, Bordignon S, Tohoku S, et al. 5S Study: Safe and Simple Single Shot Pulmonary Vein Isolation With Pulsed Field Ablation Using Sedation. Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol. 2022 Jun;15(6):e010817. doi: 10.1161/CIRCEP.121.010817.
6. 1 year outcomes from the MANIFEST-PF registry, presented by Vivek Y. Reddy, MD at EHRA 2023.
7. Ruwald MH, Johannessen A, Hansen ML, et al. Pulsed field ablation in real-world atrial fibrillation patients: clinical recurrence, operator learning curve and re-do procedural findings. J Interv Card Electrophysiol. 2023 Nov;66(8):1837-1848. doi: 10.1007/s10840-023-01495-y.
8. Lemoine MD, Fink T, Mencke C, Schleberger R, et al. Pulsed-field ablation-based pulmonary vein isolation: acute safety, efficacy and short-term follow-up in a multi-center real world scenario. Clin Res Cardiol. 2023 Jun;112(6):795-806. doi: 10.1007/s00392-022-02091-2.
9. Schmidt B, Bordignon S, Neven K, et al. EUropean real-world outcomes with Pulsed field ablatiOn in patients with symptomatic atRIAl fibrillation: lessons from the multi-centre EU-PORIA registry. Europace. 2023 Jul 4;25(7):euad185. doi: 10.1093/europace/euad185.

CAUTION:
This material is for informational purposes only and not meant for medical diagnosis. This information does not constitute medical or legal advice, and Boston Scientific makes no representation regarding the medical benefits included in this information. Boston Scientific strongly recommends that you consult with your physician on all matters pertaining to your health.

FARAPULSE™ Pulsed Field Ablation System:
The FARAPULSE Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) System is intended for the isolation of the pulmonary veins in the treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation by rendering targeted cardiac tissue electrically non-conductive to prevent cardiac arrhythmia initiation or maintenance. With all medical procedures there are risks associated with the use of the device. The risks include but are not limited to pain or discomfort, electric shock, hypotension, infection/inflammation, allergic reaction, anesthesia risk, radiation injury/tissue burn, heart failure, renal failure, respiratory distress, arrhythmia, nerve injury (such as phrenic nerve or vagal nerve), gastrointestinal disorders, vessel trauma, cardiac trauma (such as perforation), injury related to adjacent structures (esophageal injury, atrio-esophageal fistula, pulmonary injury), pulmonary vein stenosis, surgical and access complications, muscle spasm, injury due to blood clot or air bubbles in the lungs or other organs, heart attack, TIA, stroke, and/or damage to red blood cells. In rare cases, cardiac arrest or death may occur. Be sure to talk with your doctor so that you thoroughly understand all of the risks and benefits associated with the implantation and use of the device.
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