ST. LOUIS, Feb. 01, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stereotaxis, Inc. (NASDAQ:STXS), a global leader in innovative technologies for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, and University Medical Center (UMC) New Orleans, the academic medical center of LCMC Health, today announced the first procedures performed using the Stereotaxis suite of products for electrophysiology (EP) ablation at UMC. The platform includes the Niobe® ES remote magnetic navigation system, the Vdrive® robotic navigation system and Odyssey® information management solutions for lab optimization.
“We are proud to bring the most advanced solutions for treating complicated, debilitating conditions such as ventricular tachycardia and atrial fibrillation to the New Orleans community and surrounding areas,” said Jay Buras, Vice President of Operations at UMC New Orleans. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to enhance patient and operator safety, improve clinical workflow and optimize patient outcomes in EP, while elevating our commitment to shaping the future of healthcare for the region.”
The Stereotaxis lab at UMC New Orleans is led by expert EP practitioners and educators in the area, including Dr. Colleen Johnson, Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology at Tulane Heart and Vascular Institute, and Dr. Paul LeLorier, Director of Electrophysiology Services at LSU Health Sciences Center, both partners of UMC. The first procedure was performed on a patient with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (a form of tachycardia) by Dr. Jameel Ahmed.
“This patient’s condition had resulted in multiple hospitalizations and significant work restrictions,” said Dr. Ahmed. “The Stereotaxis system allowed for very precise and stable catheter movements, even in the presence of cardiac and respiratory motion, and we were able to fully ablate the affected tissues within 30 seconds. At follow-up, the patient’s EKG continues to be normal and there have been no complications – a definite success.”
About Electrophysiology
Electrophysiology (EP) is often used to help correct heart arrhythmias through catheter ablation, which is a treatment that cauterizes (burns) cardiac tissue to eliminate rhythm abnormalities in patients. During an EP procedure, the electrophysiologist (a cardiologist with specialized training in the electrical system of the heart) threads special electrode catheters (long, thin, flexible wire assemblies) to the heart, normally gaining access to the vasculature through the groin area. Once the area of the heart responsible for the arrhythmia is identified, a special wire carrying radiofrequency energy is used to ablate the site.
About Stereotaxis Technology
Launched in December 2011, the Niobe ES system, Stereotaxis’ latest generation remote magnetic navigation system, magnetically controls the working tip of an ablation catheter and provides remote instrument control outside the X-ray fluoroscopy field during a cardiac ablation procedure. Its unique design and digital automations enable safe access to difficult-to-reach areas of the heart, precise control of therapeutic and diagnostic devices, and consistent tissue contact, resulting in efficient and successful procedures. The Vdrive robotic navigation system, in combination with Niobe ES, provides navigation and stability for diagnostic and ablation devices designed with key features to assist in the delivery of better ablations. Integrating a vast amount of clinical lab information into one large screen and a single mouse and keyboard control, the Odyssey information management solution allows physicians to focus on a consolidated view of the most relevant information during each step of the procedure and maximize procedure efficiency.
About University Medical Center New Orleans
Opened in August 2015, University Medical Center New Orleans is the academic medical center of LCMC Health, a Louisiana-based, not-for-profit health system. UMC New Orleans encompasses a 2.3 million square foot campus anchoring the developing biomedical district. With a capacity for 446 beds, including 60 behavioral health beds, UMC New Orleans offers comprehensive primary care and specialty care, cutting-edge research and the region’s only Level 1 Trauma Center. As the state’s largest teaching hospital and training facility for many of the state’s physicians, nurses and allied health professionals, UMC New Orleans plays an integral role in shaping the future of healthcare for the region. It serves as a key partner of LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, Tulane University School of Medicine and other academic institutions. UMC New Orleans was conceptualized, built and funded by the state of Louisiana. It is leased and managed by LCMC Health, which also manages Children’s Hospital, Touro, New Orleans East Hospital and West Jefferson Medical Center. For more information, go to www.umcno.org.
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 United States, European Union, Canada, China, Japan, and elsewhere. The V-Sono™ ICE catheter manipulator, V-Loop™ variable loop catheter manipulator, and V-CAS™ catheter advancement system have received clearance in the United States, Canada, and the European Union. 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 United States, 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.