Arrhythmias & electrophysiologyCohort study
Incidence of laboratory-defined severe intravascular haemolysis across commercially available pulsed field ablation technologies for atrial fibrillation
- Prospective observational study
- consecutive patients
Authors' conclusion
Although over 17% of the cohort met the haematologic definition for significant IH, the absence of clinically significant renal impairment suggests that this threshold may not accurately reflect clinically meaningful haemolysis following PFA.
Study context
- Population
- Consecutive patients undergoing pulsed field ablation (PFA) for atrial fibrillation (AF), Sept 2024–May 2025
- Participants
- 245 patients
- Exposure
- Pentaspline vs circular array vs lattice tip PFA catheters
- Pentaspline (PS)n = 108
- Circular array (CA)n = 75
- Lattice tip (LT)n = 62
- Outcome
- Significant intravascular haemolysis (post-procedure free plasma haemoglobin > 100 mg/dL)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Incidence of significant intravascular haemolysis
P = 0.002
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Independent predictors of intravascular haemolysis
- Use of PS catheter, only independent predictor (OR)
- 3.42
- No demographic or clinical parameters associated with higher risk
- P = 0.001
Number of PF lesions (PS only)
- Increased risk within PS group only (OR)
- 1.03
- P = 0.049
Routine post-ablation laboratories
- Poor sensitivity/specificity to define severe haemolysis
Original publication
Incidence of laboratory-defined severe intravascular haemolysis across commercially available pulsed field ablation technologies for atrial fibrillation. Europace. Published 22 August 2025. doi:10.1093/europace/euaf185
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it