New A-Fib treatment sees first use in Utah at MountainStar St. Mark's Hospital

Millcreek / Salt Lake City, UT — St. Mark’s Hospital, the centerpiece of MountainStar Healthcare, is the first hospital in Utah to use a new pulsed field ablation technology. A pulsed field ablation, or PFA, is a minimally-invasive intervention for treating patients suffering from atrial fibrillation, or AFib. The first Utah procedure was performed at St. Mark’s Hospital in March 2024 by Dr. John Day, a cardiologist at the Heart Center at St. Mark’s and the physician executive of Cardiovascular Services for MountainStar Healthcare.

Dr. Day joined FOX13’s The PLACE Tuesday to discuss the new procedure and the success he’s seen in the over 120 cases he has already performed.

St. Mark’s Hospital is proud to be a leader in Utah for cutting-edge cardiovascular care as this new intervention is expected to be widely available soon in the U.S.

In treating AFib, pulsed-field ablation utilizes a controlled electric field to selectively ablate cardiac tissue that is causing irregular heartbeats. This new treatment method has been shown to minimize the risk of damage to surrounding tissues. This is because pulsed field ablation disables cardiac cells using electricity rather than extreme temperatures used in the traditional approaches. Further, the technology allows ablation procedures to be performed in less time.

“Pulsed field ablation represents the future of atrial fibrillation ablation procedures. The significantly shorter procedure times and notable safety benefits represent a substantial improvement over traditional methods,” said Dr. Day.

A-Fib, the most common type of heart rhythm disorder, causes a variety of symptoms, including fast or chaotic heartbeat, fatigue, shortness of breath and chest pain, and increases a person's risk of stroke. Ablation is one of several procedural and medical interventions used to control A-Fib symptoms and reduce stroke risk.

Dr. Days says one in four Americans will get AFib.

Risk Factors

Things that can increase the risk of Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) include:

• Age.
• Caffeine, nicotine or illegal drug use.
• Drinking too much alcohol.
• Changes in the level of body minerals.
• Family history.
• Heart problems or heart surgery.
• High blood pressure.
• Obesity.
• Other long-term health conditions.
• Some medicines and supplements.
• Thyroid disease.

Cardiovascular Services

The Heart Center at St. Mark’s offers a variety of services for people with heart conditions, including but not limited to:

• Convergent ablation
• Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)
• Arrhythmia treatments
• Cardiac catheterization & devices
• Coronary calcium scan
• Left atrial appendage closure
• Lipid management (cholesterol)
• Pacemaker implants
• Stress echocardiogram
• Transesophageal echocardiography

The Heart Center at St. Mark's cares for patients who have heart diseases and other problematic issues or conditions. The center’s highly trained team of cardiologists are experts in treating many cardiovascular conditions, including coronary artery disease, hypertension, congestive heart failure and cardiac arrhythmias. The center provides this care as an accredited Chest Pain Center.

The Heart Center at St. Mark's offers cardiovascular consults within 24 hours. For immediate access for appointments and provider questions, call (801) 288-4400.

About Dr. John D. Day

Dr. John Day graduated from medical school at Johns Hopkins University. He did his residency in internal medicine, cardiology, and cardiac electrophysiology fellowship training at Stanford University. Dr. Day is board certified in cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology.

Dr. Day previously served as president of the Heart Rhythm Society and was the past president of the Utah chapter of the American College of Cardiology. He is recognized as an international thought leader, regularly speaking at Atrial Fibrillation medical conferences around the world about the latest developments in the treatment of AFib.

Dr. Day currently serves as the physician executive of cardiovascular services for MountainStar Healthcare (HCA Healthcare’s Mountain Division). He has a large clinical practice focusing on Atrial Fibrillation at St. Mark's Hospital. Dr. Day warmly welcomes new Atrial Fibrillation patients into his practice.

The Heart Center at St. Mark’s Hospital
1160 East 3900 South Suite 2000
Salt Lake City, UT 84124

For more information, visit the St. Mark's Heart website or call (801) 266-3418. For more information, learn more about the procedure here.