The Arrhythmia Unit at La Luz Hospital in Madrid is a leading center for this treatment for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).

Pulmonary vein isolation is the most effective treatment for controlling normal sinus rhythm in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), superior to any pharmacological treatment. Dr. Juan Benezet, head of the Arrhythmia Unit at La Luz Hospital in Madrid, explains that this procedure involves electrically isolating the pulmonary veins that drain into the left atrium, creating an anatomical barrier that prevents the electrical impulses generated in these veins—the main cause of the arrhythmia attacks experienced by these patients—from reaching the atrium. “To create this barrier, we have two technologies: heat (radiofrequency ablation) and cold (cryoablation). Both technologies have proven equally effective in isolating the pulmonary veins. However,” Dr. Benezet continues, “there are also differences that offer advantages for patients. In this regard, cryoablation is a very effective and safe technology that significantly reduces the duration of procedures compared to radiofrequency ablation, and this offers important advantages for patients and allows us to treat more patients in a single day,” he explains.

Proof of this is what happened this past Thursday at La Luz Hospital. “We have successfully and without complications performed 4 AF Cryoablation procedures on the same day, something that is happening today for the first time in Spain,” the expert congratulates. 

Cryoablation procedures last around 2 hours following a very reproducible system that facilitates the training and learning curve of the personnel involved. “Even so, it is essential that these patients with AF are evaluated and treated in highly experienced centers like ours, where they are informed of the procedure and subsequent management to achieve the best long-term results in controlling their arrhythmia,” asserts Juan Benezet.