Skip to main content
An elderly man in a blue sweater holding his hand over his heart.

Atrial fibrillation (AFib)

Learn about the symptoms and risks of AFib. Understand your options, including the FARAPULSE™ PFA System and the WATCHMAN™ Left Atrial Appendage Closure Implant.

A graphic of two hearts visualization a normal heart and a heart that has atrial fibrillation.

What is atrial fibrillation (AFib)?

Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, is a common type of cardiac arrythmia, or irregular heartbeat. It happens when the upper chambers of the heart, also called "atria," beat irregularly because of disorganized electrical signals in the heart. You could have paroxysmal AFib, meaning the irregular heartbeat doesn't happen all the time; or persistent AFib, meaning an irregular heartbeat lasting more than 7 days. AFib affects over 5 million people in the U.S.1

AFib symptoms and complications

Symptoms of AFib include:

  • Shortness of breath
  • Racing heart, fluttering or palpitations
  • Dizziness or lightheadedness
  • Fatigue

AFib can put you at risk of other complications:

  • Blood clots: an irregular heartbeat can cause blood to pool and form clots in an area of the heart called the left atrial appendage, or LAA.
  • Stroke: If a blood clot forms in the LAA, it can travel to another part of your body and cause a stroke.
  • Heart failure: If AFib continues over a long time, the decreased efficiency of the heart can lead to heart failure.

Common treatments to manage AFib include: 

  • Lifestyle changes, such as eating a heart-healthy diet and watching alcohol and caffeine intake
  • Medications, which can manage the heart rhythm or reduce the risk of blood clots 
  • Procedures, such as cardioversion or cardiac ablation, to restore a normal heart rhythm 

Treating symptoms of intermittent AFib with FARAPULSE™

An eldery couple walking together in a park and smiling.

Cardiac ablation is a minimally invasive procedure to treat paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AFib) symptoms. Paroxysmal AFib, or intermittent AFib, is an irregular heartbeat that can come and go, or happens in sudden episodes. Pulsed field ablation (PFA) uses electrical pulses to target malfunctioning cells in the atria in order to stop AFib symptoms and return your heartbeat back to normal.

Traditional thermal ablation has been practiced for many years and uses hot or cold energy to burn or freeze malfunctioning heart cells. PFA is a newer ablation technology that uses electrical therapy to specifically target the heart cells causing the irregular heartbeat while reducing the complications typically seen in thermal ablations.*2,3

The FARAPULSE PFA System is a proven minimally invasive treatment designed to return your heartbeat back to normal. It's designed to deliver targeted energy pulses while reducing damage to surrounding anatomy4 and has similar safety outcomes to traditional thermal ablation.*3

  • 10+ years of pre-clinical and clinical experience5
  • 81.6% of patients with paroxysmal AFib had no returning symptoms within 1 year6
  • 73.3% of patients discontinued heart rhythm medications within 1 year2,3
Learn more about cardiac ablation

There are risks associated with all medical procedures. Talk with your doctor about the risks and benefits associated with the FARAPULSE PFA System.

Managing AFib stroke risk with the WATCHMAN™ Implant

Already had a WATCHMAN Implant procedure?
Visit the device support page for more information.

A smiling grandma running and playing with her granddaughter in a yard.

How does the WATCHMAN Implant work?
 

A graphic of a heart depicting blood pooling in the left atrial appendage.

Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, affects your heart's ability to pump normally. This can cause blood to pool in an area of the heart called the left atrial appendage, or LAA.



 

A graphic of a left atrial appendage with a blood clot forming in it.

There, blood cells can stick together and form a clot. When a blood clot escapes the heart and travels in the body, it can stop blood flow and cause a stroke.7,8 Blood thinners work to lower AFib stroke risk by stopping blood clots from forming, but because they work by thinning the blood, they also increase the risk of bleeding.8

A graphic of a heart depicting the WATCHMAN implant closing off the left atrial appendage.

The WATCHMAN Implant is a safe, minimally invasive, one-time implant that reduces your non-valvular AFib stroke risk without the need for lifelong blood thinners.**9 It works by closing off the left atrial appendage in the heart, where more than 90% of stroke-causing clots are formed.7
 

See if the WATCHMAN Implant is right for you. Check your eligibility, understand the procedure, and learn how over 500,000+ people have left blood thinners behind.

Visit WATCHMAN.com

There are risks associated with all medical procedures. Talk with your doctor about the risks and benefits associated with the WATCHMAN Implant.

* FARAPULSE PFA has been shown to be non-inferior (posterior probability >0.999) to standard-of-care thermal ablation (RFA and CBA) for primary safety endpoints.

**In a clinical trial, 96% of patients were able to discontinue their blood thinner 45 days after getting the WATCHMAN Implant.

References:

1. Go AS. et al, Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2013 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2013; 127: e6-e245

2. Reddy et al. Pulsed field ablation or conventional thermal ablation for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Presented at: ESC 2023; August 27, 2023, Amsterdam, NL.

3. Reddy V., et al., Pulsed Field or Conventional Thermal Ablation for Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation. N Engl J Med. 2023 Nov 2;389(18):1660-1671.

4. Reddy VY, Neuzil P, Koruth JS, et al. Pulsed field ablation for pulmonary vein isolation in atrial fibrillation. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2019 Jul 23;74(3):315-26.

5. Data on file with Boston Scientific.

6. Turagam MK, Neuzil P, Schmidt B, et al. Safety and effectiveness of pulsed field ablation to treat atrial fibrillation: one-year outcomes from the MANIFEST-PFregistry. Circulation. 2023 May 18;148:35–46.

7. Blackshear JL, Odell JA. Appendage obliteration to reduce stroke in cardiac surgical patients with atrial fibrillation. Ann Thorac Surg. 1996;61:755-759.

8. National Stroke Association. Making the Afib-Stroke Connection. https://www.stroke.org/sites/default/files/resources/Afib-Connection%20for%20hcp.pdf.Published 2012. Accessed September 1, 2016.

9. Kar, S., et al, Primary Outcome Evaluation of the Next Generation LAAC Device: Results from the PINNACLE FLX Trial, Circulation, 2021.

CAUTION: U.S. Federal law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a physician. Indications, contraindications, warnings and instructions for use can befound in the product labeling supplied with each device.

WATCHMAN™ Left Atrial Appendage Closure Implant

Important Safety Information

The WATCHMAN FLX and WATCHMAN FLX Pro Devices are permanent implants designed to close the left atrial appendage in the heart in an effort to reducethe risk of stroke.

With all medical procedures there are risks associated with the implant procedure and the use of the device. The risks include but are not limited to accidentalheart puncture, air embolism, allergic reaction, anemia, anesthesia risks, arrhythmias, AV (Arteriovenous) fistula, bleeding or throat pain from the TEE (TransEsophageal Echo) probe, blood clot or air bubbles in the lungs or other organs, bruising at the catheter insertion site, clot formation on the device, cranialbleed, excessive bleeding, gastrointestinal bleeding, groin puncture bleed, hypotension, infection/pneumonia, pneumothorax, pulmonary edema, pulmonaryvein obstruction, renal failure, stroke, thrombosis and transient ischemic attack. In rare cases death can occur.

Be sure to talk with your doctor so that you thoroughly understand all of the risks and benefits associated with the implantation of the device.

FARAPULSE™ Pulsed Field Ablation System

The FARAPULSE Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) System is intended for the isolation of the pulmonary veins in the treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation by rendering targeted cardiac tissue electrically non-conductive to prevent cardiac arrhythmia initiation or maintenance. With all medical procedures there are risks associated with the use of the device. The risks include but are not limited to pain or discomfort, electric shock, hypotension, infection/inflammation, allergic reaction, anesthesia risk, radiation injury/tissue burn, heart failure, renal failure, respiratory distress, arrhythmia, nerve injury (such as phrenic nerve or vagal nerve), gastrointestinal disorders, vessel trauma, cardiac trauma (such as perforation), injury related to adjacent structures (esophageal injury, atrio-esophageal fistula, pulmonary injury), pulmonary vein stenosis, surgical and access complications, muscle spasm, injury due to blood clot or air bubbles in the lungs or other organs, heart attack, TIA, stroke, and/or damage to red blood cells. In rare cases, cardiac arrest or death may occur. Be sure to talk with your doctor so that you thoroughly understand all of the risks and benefits associated with the implantation and use of the device.

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.