Stereotaxis highlights clinical outcomes of Niobe Magnetic Navigation System in VT ablation

Stereotaxis, Inc. (Nasdaq: STXS) highlighted significant new additions to the body of evidence demonstrating exceptional clinical outcomes achieved with its Niobe® Magnetic Navigation System in ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation.

At the European Cardiology Society Annual Congress in Stockholm last week, the research team led by Dr. Tamas Szili-Torok from the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam presented the first comparative trial in a prospective study of 64 consecutive VT patients, comparing Stereotaxis VT ablation to conventional, non-magnetic ablation.  Acute success was achieved in 97% of the Stereotaxis VT ablation group versus 81% of the manual ablation group.  Patients in the Stereotaxis VT group averaged 50% less x-ray exposure, and after a year, only 14% VT recurrence, versus a 50% recurrence rate among manual ablation patients.  A remarkable 25% reduction in total procedure time was achieved in the Stereotaxis VT group compared to the manual group.

There were no major complications in the Stereotaxis VT group compared to one death in the non-Stereotaxis group, representing a 4% major complication rate.

"The use of Stereotaxis offers major advantages for the ablation of VT," said Dr. Szili-Torok. "We have adopted a 100% utilization rule for our Stereotaxis lab for cardiac arrhythmias due to the significant benefits for our patients as well as for us as operators."

Further, Dr. Arash Arya and colleagues from the University of Leipzig Heart Center in Leipzig, Germany published data from a series of 30 consecutive patients who were suffering from "VT storm," which is three or more VT episodes in a 24 hour period that trigger a shock treatment from an implanted defibrillator device.  While treating VT Storm is extremely challenging, Dr. Arya reported that 70% of the patients in this series were free from any VT episodes at nearly one year following cardiac ablation with Stereotaxis. The journal Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology will publish Dr. Arya's series in an upcoming issue.  An early review of the abstract is available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20723092.

"VT ablation is extremely challenging and risky, yet remains a promising treatment option to reduce risks of sudden cardiac death," said Michael P. Kaminski, Stereotaxis CEO and President. "Our magnetic navigation system's unparalleled mapping precision, safety profile and ability to treat difficult areas of the heart have been proven by scientific studies from around the world to minimize these challenges for the delivery of an effective treatment." We are proud to be on the cutting edge of VT treatment and excited to see Stereotaxis VT procedure volumes growing at three times the rate of manual VT procedures through the first half of this year. We are confident that Stereotaxis VT ablation is on a path to become the worldwide standard of care for VT treatment, bringing superior clinical benefits to both patients and caregivers."

With 15% annual growth, VT ablation is among the fastest growing EP procedures.  In 2010, VT ablation will reach approximately 30,000 procedures worldwide, representing approximately 20% of all complex EP procedures.  

VT is a potentially life-threatening arrhythmia because it may lead to ventricular fibrillation, asystole, and sudden death.  VT is one of the most challenging arrhythmia facing electrophysiologists due to complex anatomy, the sensitive nature of ventricular tissue, and potentially lethal outcomes.  Catheter ablation of VT, one of the fastest growing EP procedures globally, requires the delivery of robust lesions for clinical success.  

SOURCE Stereotaxis, Inc.