Complexity and perplexity of pulsed field ablation : an engineering perspective

Kos, Bor (author), Reberšek, Matej (author), Miklavčič, Damijan (author)

Pulsed field ablation (PFA), recently introduced as a non-thermal and selective method for cardiac ablation, was associated with great promise, hope and expectation, but also raised some concerns and left some questions unanswered, in particular with respect to waveform. To better understand the challenges associated with the design and development of safe and efficient PFA systems, the underlying mechanism of electroporation at the membrane, cellular and tissue levels is described. The three interdependent components of each system, that is, the waveform, the catheter and the generator, are then addressed. The effect of the different waveform parameters on treatment outcomes is reviewed, and the consequences of a potential mismatch of the three components in the development of a safe and efficient PFA system are highlighted.

• Language: English
• Keywords: pulsed field ablation, electroporation basics, engineering perspective, optimization, development
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: FE - Faculty of Electrical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 8 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 14, art. e24
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-175229
• UDC: 602.621:616.12-089.87
• ISSN on article: 2050-3377
• DOI: 10.15420/aer.2025.37
• COBISS.SI-ID: 254274563
• Publication date in RUL: 22.10.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Arrhythmia & electrophysiology review
• Shortened title: Arrhythm. electrophysiol. rev.
• Publisher: Touch Briefings
• ISSN: 2050-3377
• COBISS.SI-ID: 18792707

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
• Description: A creative commons license that bans commercial use, but the users don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: ablacija s pulznim električnim poljem, osnove elekreopracije, inženirski vidiki, optimizacija, razvoj

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: J2-50068
• Name: Varnost in učinkovitost visokofrekvenčne elektrokemoterapije - razvoj klinične naprave

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P2-0249
• Name: Elektroporacija v biologiji, biotehnologiji in medicini