The interventional cardiology team at Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute, led by Vijay Iyer, MD, PhD, today announced the first successful implantation of the Abbott TriClip™ transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) system on a 49-year-old woman from Buffalo.

Atrial fibrillation, known as AFib or AF, is a condition that causes the upper chambers of the heart to beat irregularly and extremely fast (about 500–600 beats per minute). The most common irregular heartbeat, it affects more than 5 million adults in the U.S. A normally functioning heart beats 60 to 100 times per minute — 86,440 to 144,000 beats per day!

On March 6, 2024, Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute (BGMC/GVI) completed our first cardiac ablation procedure using the new FARAPULSE™ Pulsed Field Ablation System for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). Used extensively across the globe, this technology is designed to provide Pulsed Field Ablation therapy to treat patients with paroxysmal AF, which causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate.