ST. LOUIS, Jan. 13, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stereotaxis, Inc. (Nasdaq:STXS) and Princess Grace Hospital of Monaco today announced the results of a recent clinical study conducted in Europe, which represent significant findings in terms of the Stereotaxis remote magnetic navigation platform's success in treating atrial fibrillation (AF).
"These findings substantiate our trust in Stereotaxis technologies to lead to improved patient outcomes through faster, more efficient and dynamic magnetic catheter control, especially for complex left atrial ablation," said Professor Nadir Saoudi, M.D., Head of Cardiology at Princess Grace Hospital.
Conducted at the Princess Grace Hospital Cardiac Centre in Monaco, a world leader in the treatment of arrhythmia disease and atrial fibrillation, the 90-patient study compared the acute success and recurrence rates of patients administered general anesthesia to those who received local anesthesia during a remote magnetic ablation procedure for symptomatic paroxysmal/persistent atrial fibrillation. In studies of manual ablation, general anesthesia has shown to be superior to local anesthesia for these metrics.
In both patient groups, physicians utilized the Stereotaxis Niobe® ES system in conjunction with its Vdrive® robotic navigation system. Results of the study suggested no meaningful clinical differences when comparing general and local anesthesia, in contrast to the results achieved during manual ablation procedures mentioned above.
Of clinical significance, both groups treated with Stereotaxis technology experienced 100% acute success rates and very positive follow-up results. After 12 months of follow-up, the general anesthesia group was 86.6% free from any arrhythmias without antiarrhythmic drugs, compared to 88.8% for the local anesthesia group. Results of the study were first published online in the journal PACE (Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology, DOI: 10.1111/pace.12533, 2014).
About Princess Grace Hospital
The only public hospital in the Principality of Monaco, Princess Grace Hospital addresses health and social concerns and ensures patient safety and confidence by offering high-quality treatment, personalized care and hotel services. Since opening in 1902, the hospital has developed in line with advances in medicine and hospital techniques.
About Stereotaxis
Stereotaxis is a healthcare technology and innovation leader in the development of robotic cardiology instrument navigation systems designed to enhance the treatment of arrhythmias and coronary disease, as well as information management solutions for the interventional lab. Over 100 issued patents support the Stereotaxis platform, which helps physicians around the world provide unsurpassed patient care with robotic precision and safety, improved lab efficiency and productivity, and enhanced integration of procedural information. Stereotaxis' core Epoch™ Solution includes the Niobe® ES remote magnetic navigation system, the Odyssey® portfolio of lab optimization, networking and patient information management systems and the Vdrive™ robotic navigation system and consumables.
The core components of Stereotaxis systems have received regulatory clearance in the U.S., European Union, Canada, China, Japan and elsewhere. The V-Sono™ ICE catheter manipulator, V-Loop™ variable loop catheter manipulator and the V-CAS™ catheter advancement system have received U.S. clearance For more information, please visit www.stereotaxis.com.
This press release includes statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements, usually containing the words "believe," "estimate," "project," "expect" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that would cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the Company's ability to raise additional capital on a timely basis and on terms that are acceptable, its ability to continue to manage expenses and cash burn rate at sustainable levels, its ability to continue to work with lenders to extend, repay or refinance indebtedness on acceptable terms, continued acceptance of the Company's products in the marketplace, the effect of global economic conditions on the ability and willingness of customers to purchase its systems and the timing of such purchases, competitive factors, changes resulting from the recently enacted healthcare reform in the U.S., including changes in government reimbursement procedures, dependence upon third-party vendors, timing of regulatory approvals, and other risks discussed in the Company's periodic and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. By making these forward-looking statements, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release. There can be no assurance that the Company will recognize revenue related to its purchase orders and other commitments in any particular period or at all because some of these purchase orders and other commitments are subject to contingencies that are outside of the Company's control. In addition, these orders and commitments may be revised, modified, delayed or canceled, either by their express terms, as a result of negotiations, or by overall project changes or delays.