Woman Back Home Within 24 Hours After Next-Generation Heart Rhythm Procedure at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital — The First of Its Kind in Western India

POSTED BY : MRUNALI SAKPAL DT. 19/06/2026 📞  8850212023

MUMBAI : RMI.IN : For nearly two months, a 62-year-old woman lived under the shadow of a relentlessly irregular heartbeat. Despite medication, her heart continued to fibrillate unpredictably — and the very drugs prescribed to stabilise her rhythm were slowing her heart to dangerously low rates. On 16th June 2026, she underwent Pulsed Field Ablation at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai. The following morning, she was given discharge.

The patient said, “I never expected to be walking out of the hospital the very next day. The palpitations had been affecting my daily life for months. I feel like I have been given my life back.”

The procedure marks the first Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) performed in Western India — bringing a technology that took root in the United States approximately 18 months ago, and has since been adopted across leading European centres, to patients in Maharashtra and the wider western region for the first time.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the world’s most common heart rhythm disorder, estimated to affect nearly 50 million people globally. The disorder causes the heart’s upper chambers to beat chaotically, disrupting the coordinated pumping of blood and raising the risk of clot formation. It frequently goes undetected because approximately one-third of all patients are asymptomatic, and many experience paroxysmal AF which is difficult to identify using regular ECG — factors that, combined with limited awareness, contribute to the low priority given to AF screening in India. Approximately one in five strokes worldwide is attributed to atrial fibrillation.

Pulsed Field Ablation takes a fundamentally different approach as compared to conventional ablation techniques of heat (radiofrequency) or cold (cryotherapy) which destroys the abnormal heart tissue responsible for triggering irregular signals. It delivers rapid bursts of high-energy electrical pulses — approximately 1,500 volts sustained for a matter of microseconds — that selectively destroy abnormal cardiac cells through a process called electroporation, while leaving adjacent tissue intact. The result is a procedure that is both more precise and significantly safer in terms of collateral risk.

The procedure at Kokilaben Hospital was performed using Medtronic PulseSelectTM Pulsed Field Ablation System. It was completed under 90 minutes — a reduction of nearly 60 per cent compared with conventional techniques. The patient was discharged the following day and is expected to resume normal activity within a week.

Dr. Venkat D Nagarajan, Consultant Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist, and Group Lead for Heart Rhythm and Cardiac Device Services at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, said, “Pulsed Field Ablation marks a significant advancement in the treatment of atrial fibrillation. By using high-energy electrical pulses to selectively target abnormal heart tissue, the technology offers a safer and more efficient alternative to conventional ablation methods. Its introduction in Western India represents an important step forward in bringing globally advanced cardiac care to patients closer to home.”

The patient will be monitored on a structured follow-up protocol for a few months

Western India — encompassing Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and Madhya Pradesh — represents a catchment of hundreds of millions of people, many of whom previously had no local access to this technology. The introduction of PFA in Mumbai places this capability within reach of patients across the region for the first time.

The milestone further strengthens Kokilaben Hospital’s position at the forefront of cardiovascular innovation. Through continued investment in advanced technologies, clinical excellence and patient-centred care, the hospital remains committed to delivering world-class treatment solutions and shaping the future of heart rhythm management in India.