Top cardiac device companies including Johnson & Johnson, Boston Scientific and Abbott used the occasion of the 2026 AF Symposium last week to provide updates on their pulsed field ablation catheters. Abbott also released early results from a study of its next-generation left atrial appendage occlusion device.
Among heart failure physicians gathered at the meeting, views were “consistent that PFA demand remains robust and is growing, and that it remains electrophysiologists’ preferred modality of ablation given its better sustained effectiveness, speed of procedure, and ease of usage,” Citi Research analysts who attended the symposium told investors in a note Sunday.
Here are four developments from the meeting in Boston:
1. J&J reports early Omnypulse data
J&J said the initial results from a pilot study of its Omnypulse PFA catheter showed 90% freedom from atrial fibrillation at one year, with no procedure-related adverse events.
The 30-patient cohort evaluated people with symptomatic paroxysmal AFib, or intermittent AFib. Up to 440 patients in the study will undergo an ablation procedure with the Omnypulse platform, which is not yet approved in any global region, J&J said.
Omnypulse is one in a series of new ablation catheters the company plans to introduce as it aims to maintain its electrophysiology market leadership position amid a clinical shift to PFA from older techniques that is driving strong sales for competitors Boston Scientific and Medtronic.
J&J expects to release a new PFA catheter every year through the end of the decade, CEO Joaquin Duato said on an earnings call last month. Those plans include a version of the Thermocool Smarttouch SF catheter that enables electrophysiologists to switch between PFA and radiofrequency energy.
The dual energy catheter received European CE mark approval in January 2025. J&J will submit the device for use in the U.S. market in 2026, Duato said.
2. Varipulse neurovascular events examined
J&J also presented data on neurovascular event rates associated with its Varipulse PFA catheter to assess the impact after implementing workflow enhancements and an optimized irrigation flow rate.
In early 2025, J&J paused the U.S. rollout of Varipulse for about five weeks to investigate reported neurovascular events.
The new study, published in the journal JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology, compared event rates before and after cases were paused, analyzing reports of stroke and transient ischemic attack between December 2024 and August 2025. It found the pre-pause neurovascular event rate of 3% fell to 0.28% post-pause, concluding that the reduction may be due to workflow factors such as delivering fewer ablations and avoiding stacking lesions.
3. Farapulse tops thermal ablation 4 years out
Boston Scientific said new data on its Farapulse PFA system showed the device’s greater long-term effectiveness compared to thermal ablation.
In the observational extension of the pivotal ADVENT trial, patients with paroxysmal AFib treated with Farapulse had fewer hospital-based arrhythmia interventions and repeat ablations, reduced anti-arrhythmic drug use and no long-term safety concerns. The study, which reported results in patients out to four years, was published in the journal Nature Medicine.
For the primary endpoint of four-year treatment success, PFA demonstrated preserved effectiveness in 72.8% of patients, compared with 64.1% for thermal ablation.
Freedom from intervention in the Farapulse group was 85.6%, compared with 78.6% for thermal ablation. Repeat ablation occurred in 10.4% of Farapulse patients, compared with 17.7% for thermal ablation patients.
Truist Securities analysts who attended the meeting said in a note to investors Monday that physician feedback suggests Farapulse continues to be a “workhorse” platform for routine pulmonary vein isolation ablation cases.
4. Abbott’s Amulet 360 meets goals
Abbott presented initial results from its VERITAS study evaluating its next-generation Amulet left atrial appendage occlusion device in AFib patients.
The implant is designed to reduce the risk of stroke in patients with AFib not caused by a heart valve issue. The LAA is a small pouch attached to the upper left chamber of the heart where blood clots can form.
The study, published in JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology, showed 93.9% of patients implanted with the Amulet 360 had complete closure of the LAA through 45 days. The implant success rate was 99.8%.
„With the next-generation Amulet 360, we are building upon the advancements we made with the introduction of our Amplatzer Amulet LAA Occluder, which was the first device in the industry to both close the LAA and create a seal over it, allowing people to forgo blood-thinning medication,“ Christopher Piorkowski, chief medical officer of Abbott’s electrophysiology business, said in a statement.
