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May 17, 2006
Hansen Medical Showcases New Robotic
Catheter Technology for Accurate 3D Control During Cardiac
Procedures
Hansen Medical was founded by Fred Moll, founder
of Intuitive Surgical. Fred and his team have developed
a robotically-controlled catheter to perform minimally
invasive procedures.
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Hansen Medical, Inc.,
a developer of robotic technology for accurate 3D control
of catheter movement during cardiac procedures, will showcase
the Sensei™ robotic catheter system here at the
Heart Rhythm Society’s 27th Annual Scientific Sessions,
May 17-20, 2006. The new system is designed to allow physicians
to place mapping catheters in hard-to-reach anatomical
locations within the heart easily and with stability during
the diagnostic phase of cardiac arrhythmia treatment.
“The robotic technology embodied in the Sensei system
could fundamentally change the way physicians perform
percutaneous cardiac procedures and, at the same time,
lead to a greater number of physicians able to perform
them,” said Frederic Moll, M.D., founder and chief
executive officer of Hansen Medical, Inc. “The Sensei
system gives physicians the freedom to extend their reach
into areas of the heart via a robotically controlled catheter
that provides instinctive and deliberate catheter guidance
regardless of image orientation.”
The Sensei system is compatible with fluoroscopy, ultrasound,
3D surface map and patient electrocardiogram data, and
is adaptable to any existing electrophysiology (EP) procedure
room. The mobile workstation, which is placed away from
direct radiation, allows the physician to remain seated
throughout the procedure. In addition to lessening operator
fatigue, it creates a virtual shield for physicians against
harmful radiation during catheter-based percutaneous EP
procedures.
Clinical evaluations using the Sensei system were performed
in Europe with successful outcomes. Results indicate that
remote control and placement of catheters with this novel
robotic catheter control system produced favorable outcomes.
Andrea Natale, M.D., director for the Center for Atrial
Fibrillation, director of the Electrophysiology Laboratories
and head of the Section of Pacing and Electrophysiology,
Cleveland Clinic Foundation, used the system during clinical
evaluation on 23 patients at the Institute for Clinical
and Experimental Medicine in Prague, Czech Republic, and
the Klinikum Coburg in Germany. ”In my experience,
the stability of the catheter allowed us to perform diagnostic
and therapeutic procedures more efficiently and effectively,”
said Dr. Natale. ”Moreover, the incorporation of
the new Sensei system and catheter did not add time to
the procedures, nor did it require increased radiation
time, as would normally be expected with new technology.
As a result, I would expect this new system to someday
become the medical standard for catheter guidance during
percutaneous procedures.”
The Sensei system is designed to operate in conjunction
with the Artisan™ control catheter that contains
a through lumen to accommodate percutaneous catheters.
The control catheter is capable of movement with six degrees
of freedom, which facilitates placement of percutaneous
catheters in locations that are difficult to reach. EP
procedures utilizing conventional technology require that
physicians perform a series of complex manipulations at
one end of a compliant catheter in attempt to position
the other end accurately within a patient’s beating
heart. The inherent challenges of these systems can lead
to increased procedure times, repeat procedures and difficulties
reaching targeted tissues with precision. The new Sensei
system and the Artisan catheter may offer physicians predictable
control during EP procedures.
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