Enrico Ferro: Comparative Study Raises Questions on PFA Safety in AF at EHRA 2026
Enrico Ferro, Electrophysiology Fellow at Beth Israel Lahey Health, Clinical Investigator at Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Center for Outcomes Research, shared on LinkedIn:
”It was great to present our latest study at EHRA 2026 in Paris for the Young Investigator Award.
We ran one of the largest comparative safety analyses of PFA vs radiofrequency ablation for AF, performed at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (large volume, tertiary care center, >1,500 PVI per year).
- Large study cohort of ~4,000 patients (2,000 PFA vs 2,000 RF);
- 2 strokes (0.1%) in the RF arm (2022-2024);
- 10 strokes (0.5%) in the PF arm (2024-2026);
- Strokes were not clustered at the time of PF adoption. They were evenly distributed throughout the study period;
- There was no correlation between strokes and physician experience or procedural volume – there was no learning curve effect;
- We report stroke rates with other commercial PFA platforms beyond Farapulse, with a sizable amount of Sphere 9 cases (~500 pts);
- These data show a uniform stroke rate across PFA platforms (~0.4%) and preliminarily suggest a possible PFA class effect.
- Of note, posterior wall isolation was performed in 60% of PF cases, vs only 30% of RF cases. As expected, there is more extensive ablation with PFA, and we need to accrue more stroke events to power a mediator model and understand if more extensive ablation may explain the higher stroke rate.
In summary, our study found that the modern ‘PFA strategy’ seems associated with a significantly higher stroke risk, compared to the ‘RF strategy’.
As we accrue events and increase power, we will re-run the model to understand which specific element(s) of the PFA strategy may explain the high observed stroke rate.
Stay tuned!”
Stay updated with Hemostasis Today.
-
Apr 14, 2026, 12:46Rosa Hart: Inside Pediatric Stroke Recovery with Dr. Catherine Schuster
-
Apr 14, 2026, 12:39Gonzalo Ladreda: Innovation in Stroke Care Is About Timing, Integration, and Real-World Usability
-
Apr 14, 2026, 12:30Roy P.C. Kessels: Stroke’s Cognitive Impact on Young Adults Is Significant and Often Overlooked
-
Apr 14, 2026, 12:22Mehari Gebreyohanns: New Insights on Wake-Up Strokes from Emergency Settings in Texas and Louisiana
-
Apr 14, 2026, 11:39Prachi Patel: How B Vitamins and Large-Scale Research Are Shaping Stroke Prevention
-
Apr 14, 2026, 11:28Jamie Brannigan: Help Shape the Future of Brain-Computer Interfaces in Stroke and Neurological Care
-
Apr 14, 2026, 11:18David Ferri: A Fontan Conduit Thrombosis Managed With an Innovative Catheter-Based Thrombectomy
-
Apr 14, 2026, 09:51Understanding Bleeding Disorder of Unknown Cause – EHC
-
Apr 14, 2026, 09:48Jenny C. Chang։ AI Identifies Hidden Patterns in Bloodstream Infections