CardioFocus, a medical device company dedicated to advancing ablation treatment for atrial fibrillation (AFib), announced the first enrollments in a clinical study evaluating use of the HeartLight X3 System in an early persistent AFib patient population.
Image: CardioFocus has started persistent atrial fibrillation study with HeartLight X3 system. Photo: courtesy of krishna arts / FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
The 60 patient, prospective study will be led by Na Homolce Hospital (NHH) in Prague, Czech Republic.
AFib, the most common type of cardiac rhythm disorder is a progressive disease. If left untreated, patients suffering from paroxysmal AFib, with symptoms that come and go, will likely develop persistent AFib, a condition where the heart can no longer regulate its rhythm, with symptoms lasting longer than a week.
“We’ve used the HeartLight System since its inception, treating more than 500 patients and have seen first-hand the benefits it provides to AFib patients who suffer from this debilitating condition,” said Petr Neužil, MD, PhD, Head of the Department of Cardiology at NHH.
“As the first center to use the HeartLight X3 System, we’ve been encouraged by the initial patient outcomes and are thrilled to initiate the evaluation of this next-generation device as a treatment for persistent AFib patients.”
For patients with paroxysmal AFib, pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is a gold-standard catheter ablation treatment strategy and use of a PVI-only treatment approach for early persistent AFib has become progressively more common. The initial outcomes with the HeartLight System in the treatment of persistent AFib through a PVI-only approach have been encouraging:
A recent randomized multicenter study assessing the outcome of PVI in patients with persistent AFib concluded that PVI with the HeartLight System demonstrated similar efficacy to wide-area circumferential PVI using irrigated radio frequency ablation (RF).
As part of the study, researchers found that 71.2 percent of patients treated with the HeartLight System experienced freedom from AFib between 90 and 365 days after a single ablation, compared to 69.3 percent in the RF ablation group.2
PVI with the HeartLight X3 System utilizes laser energy to create lines of scar tissue to block the abnormal electrical pathways that cause AFib. Building upon the advanced features of the current HeartLight System – direct tissue visualization, titratable laser energy, and compliant balloon technology – the HeartLight X3 System is designed to deliver quick, continuous, circumferential lesions.
The system’s unique RAPID mode leverages a precise motor control system that enables uninterrupted, high-speed lesion creation under direct control of the physician resulting in consistently reduced procedure times.
Throughout the recently completed paroxysmal AFib clinical evaluation, the HeartLight X3 System consistently achieved very rapid PVI, in as few as three minutes for a single pulmonary vein. Data from that study will be used to obtain regulatory approvals, with European CE Mark expected by mid-2019.
“We are grateful for our continued partnership with Dr. Neužil and his team at NHH, a leading cardiac center and global innovator,” said Burke T. Barrett, President and Chief Operating Officer at CardioFocus. “Our mutual commitment to continue the advancement of the HeartLight platform will bring breakthrough treatment options such as the X3 System to greater numbers of AFib patients around the world.”
Source: Company Press Release