Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of arrhythmia that causes an irregular and often fast heart rhythm. Increasing prevalence of atrial fibrillation has been observed across the globe. According to American Heart Association, about 200,000 to 400,000 new atrial fibrillation cases are diagnosed each year in the U.S. The major factor driving this market is the increasing number of people suffering from atrial fibrillation. Favorable regulatory scenario would also propel growth in this market.

On the basis of surgical procedures this market is segmented into catheter ablation and surgical ablation. Catheter ablation procedures hold the major share in this market and are expected to grow with the highest CAGR during the forecast period of 2015 to 2020. Nevertheless, surgical ablation market is also expected to have a growth rate close to catheter ablation during the forecast period. The development in the surgical ablation technology and better results of these procedures are driving the overall number of surgical ablation procedures.

On the basis of geography, this market is segmented into: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and RoW. North America held the largest share in this market in 2014 and is expected to grow with the highest CAGR, including the number of procedures and revenue. On the other hand, Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing region due to the presence of a large patient population, growing medical tourism, and high focus of global market players on emerging Asia-Pacific countries such as China and India.

The major players in this market include Biosense Webster, Inc., St. Jude Medical, Inc., Medtronic, Inc., Boston Scientific Corporation, Articure, Inc., Cardiofocus, Inc., nContact, Inc., Cardima, Inc. and Biotronik SE & Co. As of 2014, the atrial fibrillation catheter ablation market was highly consolidated with top 4 companies dominating the entire market. The market was dominated by Biosense Webster, Inc., a J&J company (U.S.), St. Jude Medical, Inc. (U.S.), Medtronic, Inc. (U.S.), and Boston Scientific Corporation (U.S.).