Korean J Intern Med > Epub ahead of print
REVIEW
Pulsed field ablation: focused on atrial fibrillation ablation
Hong-Ju Kim, and Chan-Hee Lee
Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yeungnam University College of Medicine, Daegu, Korea
Corresponding Author: Chan-Hee Lee  , Tel: +82-53-620-3313, Email: chanheebox@naver.com
Received: June 22, 2025;   Revised: August 18, 2025;   Accepted: October 3, 2025.
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Abstract
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained tachyarrhythmia and its increasing prevalence has resulted in a growing healthcare burden. Catheter ablation is indicated for patients with AF who are either refractory or intolerant to antiarrhythmic drugs or who exhibit decreased left ventricular systolic function. Catheter ablation can be categorized based on the energy source used, including radiofrequency ablation (RFA), cryoablation, laser ablation, and the recently emerging pulsed field ablation (PFA). PFA is anticipated to be promising owing to its tissue specificity, resulting in less collateral damage than thermal energy catheter ablations, such as RFA and cryoablation. In this review, we summarize the biophysical principles and clinical applications of PFA, highlighting its safety and efficacy profile compared to that with conventional thermal ablation.
Keywords: Atrial fibrillation ; Rhythm control ; Catheter ablation ; Conventional thermal ablation ; Pulsed field ablation

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