Thong Nhat Hospital, which is managed by Vietnam's Ministry of Health, said it had successfully performed four procedures for atrial fibrillation using pulsed field ablation (PFA). They were the hospital's first procedures after the ministry authorized routine use of the technique, and they were performed by the hospital's own doctors.
Atrial fibrillation is a common heart rhythm disorder. Electrical signals in the atria, the upper chambers of the heart, become chaotic, causing the atria to quiver instead of contracting regularly.
On October 9, Vietnam's Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Administration under the Ministry of Health authorized Thong Nhat Hospital to use PFA routinely to treat atrial fibrillation.
It was the first medical facility in Vietnam to receive official authorization for routine use of the technique.
One of the patients treated was P.N.M.T., a 52-year-old resident of Ho Chi Minh City. For about two or three years, she had experienced increasingly frequent episodes of palpitations and a rapid heartbeat, including while resting or doing ordinary work.
At times she struggled to breathe and had to crouch down. Once, while riding a motorbike, she pulled over because she felt short of breath and feared she might faint. After examination and treatment at Thong Nhat Hospital, doctors advised her to undergo PFA.
The procedure took about 30 minutes. After waking up, the patient thought the procedure had not yet begun and learned from her husband that it was already over.
Two days after the procedure, she was eating and walking lightly, and the episodes of rapid heartbeat had not returned.
Dr. Truong Quang Khanh, head of the Arrhythmia Department at Thong Nhat Hospital, said PFA uses very short electrical pulses that act relatively selectively on heart muscle.
Compared with ablation methods that use heat or cold, the technique can reduce the risk of thermal injury to nearby structures such as the esophagus and pulmonary veins. The short energy delivery time can also help shorten the procedure.
Dr. Khanh said the favorable results from the first four procedures after authorization give the hospital a basis to continue using the technique while monitoring patients and assessing treatment outcomes.
Before routine PFA treatment began, the hospital's doctors and medical staff completed advanced training in Japan and successfully piloted the technique in several patients.
The Ministry of Health's authorization for routine PFA use expanded Thong Nhat Hospital's treatment options and gave patients with atrial fibrillation another option. The hospital will continue evaluating the method's results.
Sources: Dân Trí
