MARLBOROUGH, Mass., Oct. 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- CardioFocus, Inc., a medical device company dedicated to advancing ablation treatment for atrial fibrillation (AFib), announced today that the first patients in France have been treated in the University Public Hospital of Nancy with the HeartLight Endoscopic Ablation System as part of an exclusive distribution partnership with MicroPort® CRM France.

To date, more than 7,000 patients have been successfully treated in the U.S., Europe and Japan, with the HeartLight System. Within Europe, France is one of the three largest markets for AFib ablation technologies.

The HeartLight System is a revolutionary catheter ablation technology for controlled and consistent pulmonary vein isolation (PVI), a gold standard treatment for AFib. During PVI with the HeartLight System, laser energy is used to create lines of scar tissue to block the abnormal electrical pathways that cause AFib. In March, the company announced the European CE Mark approval and commercial launch of its third-generation technology, the HeartLight X3 System. This technology builds upon the advanced features of the HeartLight System and offers a unique RAPID mode which leverages a precise motor control system that enables uninterrupted, high-speed, circumferential lesion creation under direct control of the physician resulting in consistently reduced procedure times.

More than 33 million patients worldwide suffer from AFib, an arrhythmia that occurs when the heart's electrical rhythm is disrupted and the heart beats very quickly and chaotically.1 Left untreated, AFib can be serious or even deadly. Patients with AFib are at an increased risk of complications including heart failure and stroke.

"Electrophysiology is a strategic area of development for MicroPort CRM" Said Hervé Mayer, VP sales MicroPort CRM France. "We are pleased to introduce this innovative technology to the French market. The first cases done by Dr. Jean-Marc Sellal, have been very promising and we are very pleased to start a collaboration with the University Public Hospital of Nancy as a training and reference center."

"This new partnership marks an important step in our global expansion strategy and comes at a pivotal time in which the interest in advanced AFib ablation technologies is on the rise," said Omari V. Bouknight, President and Chief Commercial Officer at CardioFocus. "As one the leading medical device companies with a clear focus on addressing irregular heart rhythms, MicroPort CRM is uniquely qualified to deliver this clinically-validated therapy to the patients in France."

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