The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a medical technology created by a University of Iowa faculty member to treat atrial fibrillation (Afib) in January 2024. Now, physicians in the cardiac electrophysiology division of UI Health Care are the first in the state to begin using the technology in clinical care.
“Pulse field ablation, particularly Farapulse, offers a safe, more efficient, and effective treatment option for patients with atrial fibrillation in the state of Iowa, while significantly cutting down the procedural times,” said Paari Dominic, MBBS, MPH, director of electrophysiology at UI Health Care. “It will significantly increase access to the procedure and reduce wait times.”
Steven Mickelsen, MD, an assistant professor in the Carver College of Medicine, founded Farapulse, Inc. in 2012 to further expand his novel approaches to treating Afib, an irregular heart rhythm that occurs when the upper chambers of the heart don’t beat in sync with the bottom chambers, causing episodes of irregular and often rapid heart rhythms. Afib is the most common heart arrythmia, often leading to blood clots and stroke, and is projected to affect over 12 million Americans by 2030.