Pentaspline catheter PFA caused higher post-procedural total bilirubin (14.7 µmol/L), indirect bilirubin (8.8 µmol/L), LDH (275.5 U/L), and lower haptoglobin (0.5 g/L) than loop catheter PFA.
Do different pulsed-field ablation systems cause different levels of hemolysis biomarker release in patients undergoing pulmonary vein isolation for atrial fibrillation?
Different pulsed-field ablation systems for pulmonary vein isolation result in varying degrees of subclinical hemolysis, with the pentaspline catheter-system causing significantly higher hemolysis biomarker release than the loop catheter-system.
Abstract Background Pulsed-field ablation (PFA) is a novel ablation modality offering tissue-selective electroporation thereby minimizing damage to surrounding tissue. While PFA for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) has been shown to be safe and effective, multiple cases of PFA-mediated hemolysis have been recently reported. Data comparing hemolysis using different PFA systems is scarce. Purpose To assess releases in hemolysis biomarkers after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) using three different PFA systems. Methods The study enrolled consecutive patients undergoing PVI between August 2024 and December 2024 at a Swiss tertiary centre. Hemolysis biomarkers were measured at baseline and the day after the procedure. PFA was performed using a pentaspline catheter-system (PCS, FARAPULSE, Boston Scientifc), a loop catheter-system (LCS, PulseSelect, Medtronic) and a variable-loop circular catheter (VLCC, VARIPULSE, Biosense Webster). Results 175 patients were included (age 68 60 - 75 years, 33% female, 59% paroxysmal AF). 95 of the patients were treated with PCS, 40 with LCS, 40 with VLCC, respectively. Number of applications were as follows: 34, 34 and 54 (18 ablations) for the PCS, LCS and VLCC PFA system, respectively. Pre-interventional hemolysis biomarkers did not differ between the three groups. Post-interventional total bilirubin, indirect bilirubin, LDH were significantly higher and haptoglobin was significantly lower in the PCS group (14.7 10.7 - 21.2, 8.8 6.7 - 12.5 µmol/L, 275.5 249.5 - 320.0 U/L and 0.5 0.3 - 0.8 g/L) compared to the LCS group (12.2 9.4 - 14.9, 7.2 5.8 - 9.9 µmol/L, 250.0 209.0 - 275.0 U/L and 0.8 0.5 - 1.1 g/L; p=0.01, 0.034, 0.003 and 0.012). No significant differences were found between the PCS and VLCC and the LCS and VLCC group (12.4 10.1 - 15.7, 7.8 5.9 - 9.5 µmol/L, 219.0 195.0 - 247.0 U/L and 0.7 0.4 - 1.1 g/L, Figure). Conclusion In patients undergoing PFA for the treatment of AF, we found significant differences in hemolysis biomarkers between three different PFA systems. Further studies are warranted to confirm these findings and assess impact on the occurrence of acute kidney injury, anemia, and hematuria.Figure
Bruegger et al. (2025) studied this question. Pentaspline catheter PFA caused higher post-procedural total bilirubin (14.7 µmol/L), indirect bilirubin (8.8 µmol/L), LDH (275.5 U/L), and lower haptoglobin (0.5 g/L) than loop catheter PFA.
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