Medtronic has received both U.S. and European regulatory approvals to introduce the new Arctic Front Advance ST Cryoablation Catheter for treating difficult to manage paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. The device features a 40% shorter tip designed to makes it easier to assess the ablation with the company’s Achieve Mapping Catheter. Additionally, the shorter tip allows more assured access through difficult pulmonary vein architecture.

The device uses cooling as the ablation mechanism, as opposed to radiofrequency heat sources that are commonly used these days.

Initial patients received treatment using the device at the Asklepios Klinik St. Georg in Hamburg, Germany, with a full roll out expected in the fall of this year.

Cryoballoon technology is associated with shorter procedure times than point-by-point radiofrequency ablation, and better treatment outcomes than drug therapies on the market. The Arctic Front Advance System has been shown to improve quality of life for patients and significantly reduce paroxysmal (sporadic) atrial fibrillation symptoms, with patients experiencing reduction in atrial fibrillation episodes, palpitations, fatigue, rapid heartbeat, swelling, and syncope, and has become a widely adopted treatment for atrial fibrillation.

source:Medtronic