Pulsed field ablation for atrial fibrillation with a balloon-in-basket system under conscious sedation: A retrospective feasibility and safety analysis

Pulsed field ablation (PFA) has advantages over thermal ablation, including shorter procedure times and improved safety. A limitation of PFA, however, has been the need for general anesthesia or deep sedation (DS) because of nociceptive stimulation and skeletal muscle recruitment associated with most PFA systems.1 Recently, a new balloon-in-basket PFA system (VOLT, Abbott) became available, reportedly associated with reduced pain perception and less patient movement during applications.2