The UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has formally recommended the use of Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) within the NHS.
The guidance supports Boston Scientific’s Farapulse PFA System, marking a key milestone in the adoption of non-thermal ablation technologies for cardiac arrhythmias in the UK.
The decision follows NICE’s review of safety and efficacy data, including clinical and economic analyses showing that PFA offers meaningful advantages over standard cryoablation. A recent BMJ Open study reported a 3% reduction in total treatment cost per patient over 12 months, alongside lower complication rates and shorter procedure times.
With AF impacting approximately 2% of UK adults - and cases expected to rise significantly - the NHS is under growing pressure to adopt more efficient and scalable treatment pathways. PFA's minimally invasive profile and cost-effectiveness position positions it as a valuable treatment in meeting these demands.
Boston Scientific’s Farapulse technology has been commercially available since 2021, establishing an early foothold in the PFA market. Since then, Medtronic and Johnson & Johnson have entered the space with their respective systems, PulseSelect and Varipulse. The result is an increasingly competitive landscape, as major players vie for position in a market projected to see substantial growth in the coming years.
Over the last year, the PFA market has grown to exceed $500m, according to analysis by GlobalData, contributing to record electrophysiology sales for Boston Scientific.
