A physician at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Wilber Su, MD, is the first physician in the Southwest to offer the Arctic Front® Cardiac CryoAblation Catheter system to treat paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF), a serious heart rhythm disorder that affects millions of Americans. Recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), this is the first and only cryoballoon in the United States used to treat this condition.
Unlike traditional ablation treatments that use radiofrequency, or heat, to destroy faulty electrical circuits in the heart, the balloon-based technology of Arctic Front is novel because it ablates cardiac tissue through the use of a coolant rather than heat, which is delivered through a catheter. This freezing technology allows the catheter to adhere to the tissue during ablation, allowing for greater catheter stability.
"The value of the new cryoablation technology over existing ablation methods is that it enables physicians to elegantly isolate the pulmonary veins via a simple, efficient approach," says Dr. Su. "The procedure is completed much faster with the cryoballon and is less risky for the patient. In my practice, most patients require only an overnight stay in the hospital, with minimal recovery time and often avoid the long term use of anti-arrhythmic drugs. This is an exciting time for those of us who have been previously challenged to cure this condition without the right tools in our toolbox. "
This technology is currently only available at St. Joseph's and exclusively from Dr. Su, in the Southwest. Dr. Su treats approximately 30 patients a month using this new technology and has performed more cryoballon cases than any other physician in the United States since the FDA approved the technology several months ago. Dr. Su and St. Joseph's are also proud to have been selected as a training center for other doctors who want to learn about performing this technique. St. Joseph's offers a multidisciplinary atrial fibrillation clinic.
Dr. Su was the Southwest's only Investigator in the STOP-AF (Sustained Treatment of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation) research trial, which served as the basis for FDA approval. In this study, 70 percent of patients treated with Arctic Front achieved treatment success at 12 months, compared to 7 percent of patients treated with drug therapy only. The study also demonstrated that treatment with the device is safe, and demonstrates a reduction in adverse events caused by atrial fibrillation when compared to drug therapy. Additionally, patients treated with Arctic Front displayed a significant reduction of symptoms, a decrease in the use of drug therapy and substantial improvements in both physical and mental quality-of-life factors.
About PAF
Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation is a type of atrial fibrillation in which irregular heartbeats in the upper chambers of the heart start and stop suddenly on their own. Atrial fibrillation is the most common and one of the most undertreated heart rhythm disorders in U.S. Approximately 3 million Americans are estimated to have the disease, and about 40 percent don't exhibit symptoms and may be under-diagnosed.