MED | Pulsed Field Ablation: Study Examines Effects on Red Blood Cells, Heart Muscle Cells and Kidney Function

23 September 2026

Study compares early haemolysis, myolysis and renal stress following two ablation techniques for atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is a common heart rhythm disorder that can be treated by pulmonary vein isolation, a procedure that targets the heart tissue responsible for triggering abnormal electrical signals. A prospective study of 40 patients has compared two techniques used for this procedure: the newer pentaspline single-shot pulsed field ablation (ssPFA), which uses electrical pulses, and conventional radiofrequency ablation (RFA), which uses heat.

The researchers investigated the early effects of both methods on heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes), red blood cells (erythrocytes) and kidney function. The results showed that ssPFA induced substantially greater acute myoglobin release – a sign of heart muscle cell damage (myolysis) – and greater breakdown of red blood cells (haemolysis) than RFA.

Despite these differences, changes in renal function were modest, and none of the patients developed creatinine-defined acute kidney injury. Within the ssPFA group, however, higher early myoglobin release was associated with transient changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), a measure of kidney function.

The findings suggest that myoglobin could serve as a potential marker of early renal stress following PFA. They provide further insight into the physiological effects of this newer ablation technique and may contribute to future research on monitoring kidney function after the procedure.

This research was supported by the internal seed funding call FFF.