Diamond Bar, CA - (May 05, 2011)- Biosense Webster, Inc., a worldwide leader in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, will showcase its portfolio of cutting edge innovative technologies at the 2011 Heart Rhythm Meeting. Heart Rhythm is the largest scientific meeting in the field of Electrophysiology and will be held in San Francisco, CA from May 4th – 7th, at the Moscone Center.
At the meeting, Biosense Webster will be presenting its new‘Innovation. Delivered.’campaign. The company will showcase its complete portfolio of market-leading technologies and present an array of innovative solutions for Electrophysiologists and Allied Health Professionals including:– Clinical Support, Global Education and Training Programs, Technical Service, Patient Education, and other resources to support the expanded access to ablation treatment.
“We are proud to offer electrophysiologists so many products and services focused on catheter ablation, with the goal of helping them treat patients with cardiac arrhythmias,” said Shlomi Nachman, Worldwide President, Biosense Webster. “At this year’s Heart Rhythm, we will reinforce our passion for excellence in knowledge and innovations in the electrophysiology marketplace that we have helped build over the past 20 years.”
ACCURESP™ Module
The new ACCURESP™ Module for the company’s CARTO® 3 System will be introduced at Heart Rhythm. The ACCURESP™ Module reduces the effect of respiration motion for a new level of mapping. It enables the Electrophysiologist to maintain mapping accuracy independent of catheter movement due to respiratory motion, patient condition, and procedure time. Because the operator defines the ACCURESP™ Module thresholds, they have complete control of the information that is included in chamber reconstruction, eliminating the inconvenience of repeat sampling that may prolong the procedure and disrupt workflow.
“With the ACCURESP™ module and the Fast Electroanatomical Mapping feature of CARTO® 3, I can now optimize the clarity of my 3-Dimensional maps during an ablation procedure. With the fixed Lasso Nav™ catheter now available for mapping on the CARTO® 3 System, I have complete control of the information during the 3D reconstruction and can improve my procedural workflow,” said Dr. Andrea Natale M.D., Executive Medical Director of the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at St David’s Medical Center, Austin, Texas
THERMOCOOL® SF Irrigated Ablation catheter
Continuing the company’s theme of‘Innovation. Delivered.’, Biosense Webster also announced today the completion of the first clinical cases with the new uni-directional THERMOCOOL® SF Irrigated Ablation Catheter in the European Union.
Unlike competitive irrigated technologies which offer localized cooling, the cutting edge catheter design and breakthrough porous tip technology of the THERMOCOOL® SF Catheter allow for uniform cooling of the entire catheter tip when ablating. This in turn allows for efficient fluid delivery within the catheter itself and allows heat to dissipate across the entire catheter tip. As a result, cooling efficiency is increased and the flow rate is reduced compared to the THERMOCOOL® Catheter. The THERMOCOOL® SF Catheter has received CE mark but is not available for sale in the United States.
Dr. Anthony Chow at the Heart Hospital London, United Kingdom, shared his recent experience with Biosense Webster’s new uni-directional catheter platform: “The THERMOCOOL® SF Catheter is the latest advancement in irrigated ablation catheter design with its unique cooling technology. The rapid cooling and signal attenuation that are achieved with the catheter, in addition to the reduced flow rate to the patient and high maneuverability capabilities, allows me to complete Atrial Fibrillation ablation procedures in a safe, effective, and timely manner.”
Agreement with Stereotaxis
The company also announced today, its new distribution agreement with Stereotaxis, Inc. where it will gain non-exclusive, worldwide distribution rights to sell the Stereotaxis’ rapidly growing Odyssey™ product portfolio. “This extension of our current strategic collaboration will undoubtedly enhance our current world class clinical support that we provide every day to the thousands of electrophysiologists around the world through Odyssey ™ Cinema, in addition to providing them with a consolidated view of patient information in a single display through Odyssey™ Vision,” said Nachman. The Odyssey™ portfolio allows the operation of the entire lab as one system, thus streamlining procedure workflow and the provision of virtual remote support of cardiac ablation procedures and professional training which is both personalized to the electrophysiologists performing the procedure and also scalable on a global basis.
About AF and cardiac ablation
Atrial Fibrillation is the most prevalent arrhythmia, and is a leading cause of stroke among people 65 years and older. Worldwide, it is estimated that 20 million people have AF, yet only ~130,000 are treated with ablation every year. The public health implications of AF are a growing concern because those with AF are at an increased risk of morbidity and mortality as well as a reduced quality of life.
Most patients with AF today are treated with anti-arrhythmic drugs (AADs), even though about half of them are refractory to these drugs. During cardiac ablation, energy is delivered through the catheter to those areas of the heart muscle causing the abnormal heart rhythm. This energy “disconnects” the pathway of the abnormal rhythm. Cardiac ablation is commonly used for “simple” arrhythmias, like Wolff-Parkison-White Syndrome and atrioventricular nodal re-entry tachycardia (AVNRT), and is increasingly being used for more complex arrhythmias like ventricular tachycardia and atrial fibrillation. THERMOCOOL® Navigation Catheters are approved for drug refractory recurrent symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, when used with CARTO® Systems (excluding NAVISTAR® RMT THERMOCOOL Catheter).
About Biosense Webster, Inc.
Biosense Webster, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, pioneered EP diagnostic catheters more than 20 years ago and continues to lead the industry as an innovative provider of advanced cardiac diagnostic, therapeutic, and mapping tools. As the leader in EP navigation systems and ablation therapy, Biosense Webster, Inc. has technology that includes the largest installed base of cardiac mapping navigation systems worldwide in leading hospitals and teaching institutions. For more information about Biosense Webster and its products, please visit: www.biosensewebster.com (this site is intended for US visitors only).
Biosense Webster, Inc.
Sandra Pound
(o) 908-541-4040
(m) 908-432-2829
Spound@its.jnj.com