Abbott has initiated a trial of its Volt pulsed-field ablation (PFA) system at 15 UK National Health Service (NHS) hospitals for atrial fibrillation (AFib) treatment, highlighting the system’s ability to deliver ablation to patients under conscious sedation rather than general anaesthesia.
Fifteen NHS hospitals are taking part in the pilot, including Cambridge’s Royal Papworth Hospital, Leicester’s Glenfield Hospital, and Leeds’ General Infirmary.
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Volt received a European CE mark, which also encompasses the UK, in March 2025. The system received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance in December 2025.
PFA uses short bursts of electrical energy to destroy heart tissue associated with atrial fibrillation. Abbott is the latest major player to join the PFA space in Europe, where systems have been available since 2021. Other big players in the medtech space including Medtronic and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) have marketed systems in the region. Meanwhile, Medtronic’s PulseSelect became the first PFA system approved in the US in December 2023. Medtronic has since been joined on the US market by Boston Scientific and J&J. According to GlobalData analysis, US PFA market revenue exceeded $500m in 2024.
Volt’s delivery of ablation to patients under conscious sedation
Abbott has touted the feasibility of Volt in delivering PFA to target cardiac tissue to destroy cells responsible for irregular heart rhythms in patients under conscious sedation opposed to general anaesthesia, evidently anticipating that this factor will help drive the system’s uptake across UK hospitals.
In acute data from Volt’s CE mark study (NCT06106594), 55 patients underwent ablation while under conscious sedation. The study found that safety rates and procedural outcomes did not significantly differ compared to procedures undertaken with general anaesthesia.
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By GlobalDataChristopher Piorkowski, chief medical officer of Abbott’s electrophysiology business, commented: “The Volt PFA System is an option for patients who prefer conscious sedation, which can also lead to faster recovery times and shorter procedures.”
Volt, therefore, represents an opportunity to account for the current shortfall of anaesthetists in the UK. According to 2024 data from the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCA), the current shortfall of anaesthetists in the UK is around 1,900 — a figure estimated to prevent up to 1.4 million procedures per year.
Meanwhile, data from the British Heart Foundation indicates that individuals diagnosed with a heart rhythm condition surpassed 1.5 million for the first time in 2023, reflecting a 50% rise within a decade.
Dr Riyaz Somani, consultant cardiologist at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, said: “By providing a treatment option that doesn’t require general anaesthetic, we hope to be able to deliver AFib ablation not only safely and effectively but also more efficiently, allowing us to treat more patients and help reduce our waiting lists.”
