News Releases

Lifetime risk of developing Afib: one in four for Americans 40 and older

Grand Rapids and Royal Oak, Mich., Sept. 11, 2025 – Corewell Health^TM William Beaumont University Hospital in Royal Oak and Corewell Health Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids recently performed the first all-in-one dual energy ablation procedures in Michigan, giving patients with persistent atrial fibrillation more choices and safer options.

Atrial fibrillation (Afib) is a progressive disease that occurs when the heart's upper chambers beat out of rhythm. As a result, blood is not pumped efficiently to the rest of the body. Serious complications include stroke, heart failure and increased risk of death. Lesser complications include fatigue, anxiety and heart palpitations. The lifetime risk of developing Afib is one in four for people 40 and older, according to the American Heart Association.

“Pulsed field ablation is the biggest advancement for the treatment of heart disease in my lifetime,” said Brian Williamson, M.D., medical director, Heart Rhythm Clinic, Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital. “Corewell Health is proud to be a statewide leader in the treatment of Afib, the most common atrial arrhythmia, affecting nearly 60 million people worldwide.”

Dr. Williamson’s team performed the first Aferra-powered procedure in Southeast Michigan on July 14. Wassim Jawad, M.D., and his team performed the first procedure in West Michigan at Corewell Health Fred and Lena Meijer Heart Center in Grand Rapids on Aug. 7.

Medtronic received Food and Drug Administration approval for the Affera™ Mapping and Ablation System and Sphere-9™ Catheter in late 2024.

“The Aferra technology enables our physicians to map, ablate and validate with a single catheter, improving safety and convenience, and shortening procedure time,” Dr. Jawad said.

Smaller than its predecessors, the all-in-one catheter includes a built-in mapping system to identify the source of fast, abnormal rhythms and then correct them by delivering pulsed field ablation or radiofrequency energy, whichever is determined to be best for the patient.

As the global incidence of Afib continues to rise — driven by factors such as an aging population, increasing obesity rates and a growing prevalence of diabetes — identifying effective treatments has become increasingly important.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 12.1 million people in the U.S. have Afib. High blood pressure accounts for about one in five cases. Afib also is the cause of about one in seven strokes.

About Corewell Health™
People are at the heart of everything we do, and the inspiration for our legacy of outstanding outcomes, innovation, strong community partnerships, philanthropy and transparency. Corewell Health is a not-for-profit health system that provides health care and coverage with an exceptional team of 60,000+ dedicated people—including more than 12,000 physicians and advanced practice providers and more than 16,000 nurses providing care and services in 21 hospitals, 300+ outpatient locations and several post-acute facilities—and Priority Health, a provider-sponsored health plan serving more than 1.3 million members. Through experience and collaboration, we are reimagining a better, more equitable model of health and wellness.

For more information, visit corewellhealth.org