The Fridley Company's Arctic Front system that uses a freezing technology has been approved by the FDA.

Approval for a device to treat an irregular beating of the heart's upper chambers that can lead to a stroke according to Medtronic was given by the FDA.

By filling a catheter's balloon with coolant, freezing and creating lesions in the cardiac tissue around the heart's pulmonary vein, Medtronic's Arctic Front system blocks the condition known as paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

This type of freezing technology to treat atrial fibrillation is used by Fridley-based Medtronic for the first time in the United States and it is the second to sell an FDA-approved product for the condition in the U. S. market.

Dr. Vivek Reddy, director of Electrophysiology Laboratories at the Mount Sinai Medical Center, said, "The approach provides a straightforward and efficient approach to pulmonary vein isolation, while giving patients a new, minimally invasive treatment approach proven to be safe and effective."

Analysts said as the $1.5 billion atrial fibrillation market continues to grow, they believe Arctic Front will help boost sales at Medtronic. The condition is suffered by about three million people in the United States.

Jan Wald, senior medical technology analyst with Noble Financial Capital Markets stated that it's going to be a very good thing for Medtronic.