The Palm Beach Health Network (PBHN) has announced that Delray Medical Center and Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center are the first hospitals in Palm Beach County to acquire the OPAL HDx Mapping System, a new technology designed to improve treatment for atrial fibrillation (AFib). This development coincides with AFib Awareness Month, highlighting PBHN’s focus on advanced care for patients with heart rhythm disorders.
The OPAL HDx system works alongside the FARAPULSE Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) System and its FARAWAVE NAV Ablation Catheter. The integration of mapping and ablation into one procedure allows doctors to see electrical activity in the heart in real time. It also reduces the need for multiple catheter exchanges and helps deliver targeted therapy while limiting risk to nearby tissues.
“Being the first health system in Palm Beach County to offer this advanced technology helps us remain at the forefront of cardiac care,” said Samantha Ing, Cardiovascular Service Line Administrator for Palm Beach Health Network. “The OPAL system provides our physicians with the tools to more efficiently and precisely treat AFib, improving safety and outcomes for our patients. We are proud to have this innovation in place just in time for AFib Awareness Month.”
Atrial fibrillation is described as the most common type of heart arrhythmia, affecting over 7 million Americans and about 38 million people globally. The condition causes irregular beating in the heart’s upper chambers, which can lead to reduced efficiency, blood clots, stroke, heart failure, and other complications.
Unlike traditional thermal ablation methods that use heat or cold, the FARAPULSE PFA System uses non-thermal electric fields that target only affected tissue. This method aims to minimize harm to surrounding structures and offers an alternative for patients who have recurring or symptomatic AFib.
With these additions at Delray Medical Center and Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, PBHN continues expanding its cardiovascular services within Palm Beach County. PBHN consists of six hospitals—Delray Medical Center, Good Samaritan Medical Center, Palm Beach Children’s Hospital, Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, St. Mary’s Medical Center, and West Boca Medical Center—as well as a large physician group and several outpatient facilities across the county.
