Feb. 12, 2025 — On Feb. 11, 2025, at HonorHealth Research Institute, Rahul Doshi, M.D., cardiac electrophysiologist, performed one of the nation’s first procedures to control atrial fibrillation (Afib) using a new type of catheter that can deliver two different types of electrical energy — or ablation — to destroy the damaged part of the heart that is triggering the abnormal heartbeats. It does this without harming any of the heart’s healthy tissue. Destroying the damaged tissue helps restore the heart’s regular rhythm.
As part of a clinical trial, Dr. Doshi used an Abbott TactiFlex pulse field ablation (PFA) catheter — threaded from a leg though large blood vessels to the heart — to deliver a precision high-amplitude, microsecond-pulsed electric field, scarring the damaged part of the heart without the use of extreme heat or cold. Using the same catheter, he also was able to easily switch to radiofrequency ablation, which has traditionally been used to treat Afib by scarring the damaged part of the heart using heat.
“This catheter ablation system allows for the safety and efficacy of pulse field ablation while maintaining both the precision and flexibility of point-by-point ablation, and the flexibility to switch between pulse field ablation and traditional radiofrequency ablation,” said Dr. Doshi, a specialist in the Research Institute’s Cardiovascular Research Division.
“This provides us with an opportunity to expand the use of this ablation energy across a much broader group of patients and capitalize on better outcomes,” he said. “Through clinical trials, we remain committed to advancing cutting edge technology and innovative therapy to improve patient care."
The procedure performed by Dr. Doshi at HonorHealth’s Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center, is the first in the Western U.S. among the clinical trial’s 32 sites nationwide. The purpose of this study is to show that the new technology is well tolerated and able to treat atrial fibrillation.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, AFib affects more than 10 million Americans, or nearly 4.5% of the adult U.S. population, leading annually to more than 450,000 hospitalizations and contributing to nearly 158,000 deaths.
Learn more at HonorHealth.com/research.
March 12, 2025 
