Novant Health Heart & Vascular Institute has incorporated a recent FDA-approved treatment for AFib, or atrial fibrillation, as an option for local patients.

Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA), a technology created by Medtronic, involves using pulsed electrical fields sent through a catheter to treat misfiring cardiac tissue in the heart, according to a news release from the health system. The goal is to permanently correct a patient’s irregular heartbeat.

Novant Health providers did their first procedures with the technology April 3 at Novant Health New Hanover Medical Center and Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem. 

“AFib causes symptoms and can increase risk of heart failure and stroke, so it’s important to identify and successfully treat the condition,” Bill Smith, clinical physician executive for Novant Health Heart & Vascular Institute in the health system’s coastal region, said in the release. “Launching this new treatment at two sites on the same day is a testament to a strong effort from across our Heart & Vascular Institute to offer the latest advanced treatment options to our patients.”

AFib, officials said, is the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia and a condition that is expected to affect more than 12 million people nationally by 2030.