News
Using PulseSelect at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital
PulseSelect pulsed field ablation joins our treatment options for atrial fibrillation at the RDE.
In May 2025, we began using the PulseSelect pulsed field ablation system at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital to treat atrial fibrillation (AF).
AF causes an irregular heartbeat. Ablation aims to interrupt the electrical signals that trigger or sustain it. PulseSelect delivers short electrical pulses through a catheter — a thin, flexible tube guided into the heart — to treat the tissue around the openings of the pulmonary veins. This is called pulmonary vein isolation.
Pulsed field ablation (PFA) uses electrical energy rather than heat or freezing to create the treatment effect. PulseSelect has a circular arrangement of electrodes at its tip, allowing the team to deliver this energy around the vein openings. Read more about PulseSelect from Medtronic.
Its introduction adds to the treatment options available at the RDE. The choice of procedure remains an individual decision, taking account of each patient’s symptoms, heart rhythm history and overall health.
Product image: Medtronic, via its newsroom.