NEW DELHI, May 14, 2025 – Abbott, the global healthcare company, announced the launch of the TactiFlex™ Sensor Enabled™ Ablation Catheter, the world’s first ablation catheter with a flexible tip and contact force technology.
The heart uses its own electrical system to start up every beat. But if that system breaks down, and the heart beats in an irregular way, that’s arrhythmia. The most common type of irregular heartbeat is called atrial fibrillation, or AFib, for short. It’s caused by electrical impulses that misfire, causing the top chambers, or atria, to quiver or flutter. Basically the heart is out of its normal rhythm. This irregular heartbeat can lead to serious issues like blood clots, strokes, and other heart-related problems.
Cardiac ablation is a minimally invasive procedure in which a physician accesses the heart through a blood vessel. A catheter (a long, steerable tube) enters the vessel and is placed in the heart where diagnostic devices will be used to determine the area of the heart that needs to be treated. The physician will use the catheter to apply energy to the targeted heart tissue to create small scars. These block the faulty electrical signals that cause the irregular heartbeat. TactiFlex is a catheter used to perform ablation procedures that treat AFib. This device results in reduced procedure times1 and better safety as compared to the company’s previous generation catheters2.
“For those suffering from AFib, daily tasks can be challenging due to dizziness, chest pain and heart palpitations. If left untreated, AFib can also lead to a stroke, making it critical to address the issue as early as possible,” said Henry Cheng, General Manager, Asia and Director Strategy, Asia Pacific for Abbott’s Electrophysiology business. “This device helps doctors restore normal heart rhythms by guiding electrical currents back to their proper pathways.”
“When used with the EnSite X EP System, doctors can accurately map and identify areas of the heart that need treatment, ensuring precise results and better patient outcomes. Unlike other catheters, the TactiFlex catheter uses a tip design with a laser-cut pattern that flexes when in contact with the heart wall. This helps direct fluid to the treated tissue3 and allows for more accurate positioning of the catheter – providing up to two-times higher stability in a beating heart – for consistent therapy delivery4,” said Rahul Sharma, Country Manager for Abbott’s Electrophysiology business in India.
More than 37 million people worldwide live with atrial fibrillation5, and this number is predicted to more than double by 20506. Each year, an additional five million cases are diagnosed, highlighting the urgent need for innovative solutions for both patients and physicians7.
As per the Indian heart Journal, in India, the incidence of AFib is rising, though it remains lower compared to Western countries. Studies in India have reported a wide range of prevalence from 0.1% to 1.6%. Indian patients with AFib tend to be younger and more often female. Despite the lower prevalence, the burden of this condition is growing, necessitating better diagnostic and management strategies8.
The Abbott TactiFlex catheter has demonstrated strong clinical outcomes in the TactiFlex AF IDE study, showing that it can create fast, safe lesions to treat AFib with over 99% acute procedural success9.
About Abbott:
Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritional and branded generic medicines. Our 114,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries. In India, Abbott was established in 1910 and is one of the country's oldest and most admired healthcare companies. With more than 12,000 employees in the country, Abbott is helping to meet the healthcare needs of consumers, patients and doctors throughout urban and rural India.
Connect with us at www.abbott.com and www.abbott.in, and on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, X and YouTube.
Abbott Media:
Mandira Viegas: mandira.viegas@abbott.com
Smritee Chaturvedi: smritee.chaturvedi@abbott.com
References:
1 CL1017540 TactiFlex PAF IDE PMA Report
2 Lo MY, Sanders P, Sommer P, Kalman JM, Siddiqui UR, Sundaram S, Piorkowski C, Olson N, Madej SM, Gibson DN. Safety and effectiveness of a next-generation contact force catheter: results of the TactiSense trial. Clinical Electrophysiology. 2021 Aug 1;7(8):1013-21.
3 CL1017540 TactiFlex PAF IDE PMA Report
4 Compared to conventional 56-hole catheters. Ambrosius Nick, Fish Jeffrey, & Tranter John. Flexible, Kerfed Ablation Catheter Tip Provides Superior Stability in a Bench Model APHRS 2018: Abstract Book; 2018, October 17-18; Taipei, Taiwan. Abstract nr 1170.
5 Lippi G, Sanchis-Gomar F, Cervellin G. Global epidemiology of atrial fibrillation: An increasing epidemic and public health challenge. Int J Stroke. 2021 Feb;16(2):217-221. doi: 10.1177/1747493019897870. Epub 2020 Jan 19. Erratum in: Int J Stroke. 2020 Jan 28;1747493020905964. PMID: 31955707.
6 Morillo CA, Banerjee A, Perel P, Wood D, Jouven X. Atrial fibrillation: the current epidemic. J Geriatr Cardiol. 2017 Mar;14(3):195-203. doi: 10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2017.03.011. PMID: 28592963; PMCID: PMC5460066.
7 Go AS, Hylek EM, Phillips KA, et al. Prevalence of Diagnosed Atrial Fibrillation in Adults: National Implications for Rhythm Management and Stroke Prevention: the AnTicoagulation and Risk Factors In Atrial Fibrillation (ATRIA) Study. JAMA. 2001;285(18):2370–2375. doi:10.1001/jama.285.18.2370
8 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9039683/
9 https://www.cardiovascular.abbott/int/en/hcp/products/electrophysiology/ablation-technology/tactiflex-se-ablation-catheter/clinical-evidence.html
Disclaimer:
The information mentioned in this document is only suggestive/for patient education and shall not be considered as a substitute for doctor’s advice or recommendations from Abbott. Please consult your doctor for more information.
Links which take you out of Abbott worldwide websites are not under the control of Abbott, and Abbott is not responsible for the contents of any such site or any further links from such site. Abbott is providing these links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement of the linked site by Abbott.
The website that you have requested also may not be optimized for your screen size.
FOLLOW ABBOTT