Magnetic irrigated catheter procedures reach 2500
20 August 2009
Stereotaxis, Inc. (NASDAQ: STXS) has announced that clinicians have
performed more than 2,500 procedures with the magnetic irrigated
catheter since its commercial release. The clinical performance of the
catheter in these cases has been exceptional, it says. The major adverse
cardiac event rate for magnetic procedures remains at 0.1%
"The irrigated tip is a great asset for creating deep lesions in
patients with ventricular tachycardias in the setting of structural
heart disease," said Dr Raul Weiss, associate professor of medicine at
The Ohio State University and an electrophysiologist at the Ross Heart
Hospital in Columbus.
"The Thermocool magnetic catheter creates deeper lesions because the
catheter remains in contact with the beating heart. The irrigation
allows me to deliver more energy, creating a larger lesion. You don't
have to push on the catheter like you do with a manual catheter, so the
likelihood of perforation, I think, is significantly reduced."
Overall, the Niobe Remote Magnetic Navigation System has been
utilized in nearly 23,000 cases worldwide. These include ablations of a
wide variety of cardiac arrhythmias in all four chambers of the heart
and across a broad spectrum of patients ranging from pediatric to
geriatric.
Included in the Niobe clinical experience are several very compelling
procedures in patients with congenital heart defects and patients with
peripheral vascular occlusive disease. Altogether this represents the
broadest range of cardiovascular applications achieved with any
commercial remote magnetic, robotic or mechanical navigation system
presently in the marketplace.
"The addition of the magnetic irrigated catheter has broadened the
capabilities of the Stereotaxis system, further demonstrating the
potential of our remote magnetic navigation technology as a platform for
all manner of cardiac and vascular interventions," said Michael P.
Kaminski, Stereotaxis President and CEO.
"Stereotaxis labs are quickly becoming the preferred labs for complex
cases at centres across the globe. These include a growing number of
community hospitals, which are using our advanced technology to build
robust electrophysiology practices. With the diverse group of clinicians
who now routinely use our Niobe system, we are particularly delighted
that the system has maintained the safety profile for which it has
become well known."
The core components of the Stereotaxis system have received
regulatory clearance in the US, Europe, Canada and elsewhere.
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