Severance Hospital, one of Korea’s top five tertiary hospitals, said Wednesday that it has been designated as the nation’s first 3D pulsed field ablation (PFA) training center by Johnson & Johnson MedTech.

PFA, the latest treatment for atrial fibrillation, uses high-energy electrical pulses to create tiny punctures in the heart, selectively destroying arrhythmia-causing cardiomyocytes while preserving surrounding tissue. The procedure takes less than an hour.

Compared to traditional procedures, it significantly reduces damage to nearby tissues and shortens both procedure and recovery time, ultimately improving patient outcomes.

3D PFA is an advanced medical technology that offers a high-resolution view of a patient’s heart anatomy, greatly enhancing the accuracy and reliability of conventional PFA.

Using a 3D cardiac mapping system and 3D echocardiography, physicians can track the real-time position of the catheter—a long tube inserted into the heart—boosting treatment precision.

Additionally, 3D PFA minimizes radiation exposure for patients. Unlike conventional PFA, which relies on multiple X-rays to verify catheter placement, 3D PFA does not require such imaging.

The technology also has broad applications, enabling treatment of arrhythmias not only in the heart but also in the pulmonary veins and other areas.

Severance Hospital said it has performed more than 90 PFA procedures to date. It is now the first institution in Korea designated by Johnson & Johnson MedTech to train physicians from domestic and international hospitals, including those in China and Taiwan.

The training program includes simulation exercises using a 3D mapping system and animal lab training, providing participants with realistic hands-on experience in complex procedures.

“Severance Hospital has become a training center not only for general PFA but also for 3D PFA,” said Professor Joung Bo-young at the Department of Cardiology at Severnace Hospital. He performed the hospital’s first PFA. “Professors at Severance, including Kim Tae-hoon and Yoo Hee-tae, are committed to sharing new medical technologies with cardiologists in Korea and around the world.”