ST. LOUIS, May 7, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stereotaxis, Inc. (Nasdaq:STXS) announced that it will highlight the milestones and clinical results achieved with its cutting-edge Epoch™ platform, as well as preview enhancements to the Epoch suite, at the 34th Annual Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) Scientific Sessions, May 8-11, 2013 in Denver, CO. The Company has surpassed an industry leading 60,000 procedures on its remote magnetic navigation system, more than 10,000 of which were performed in 2012.
"We are excited to share with the HRS audience how our technologies have transformed the practice of electrophysiology (EP) for hundreds of physician users and what is ahead for us in terms of product innovation," says William Mills, Stereotaxis Board Chairman and interim Chief Executive Officer. "The safety of our robotic solutions is second to none, and the evidence continues to grow on other significant clinical and economic benefits. We remain focused on advancing and refining our magnetic and robotic navigation systems for optimal performance."
Mr. Mills says the Company's vision is to become the new standard of care in EP procedures across the globe and has already succeeded in doing so in countries such as Finland, where all five of its teaching hospitals, who collectively handle the vast majority of the country's complex EP cases, now routinely use Stereotaxis innovations.
More than 460 EPs worldwide utilize Stereotaxis technology today. Three of these physicians will speak to their personal experiences with the Epoch platform, including the platform's impact on reducing procedure time, increasing patient volume and other favorable results through in-booth presentations (Booth 1802) at the following times:
- May 9, 3:30-4:00 p.m. – Dr. Tamas Szili-Torok, Erasmus Medical Center
- May 10, 10:00-10:30 a.m. – Dr. William Spear, Advocate Christ Medical Center
- May 10, 10:30-11:00 a.m. – Dr. J. Peter Weiss, Intermountain Medical Center
Furthermore, the Robotic EP Society, conceived by Stereotaxis physician users and other robotic advocates at the 2012 HRS Scientific Sessions, will convene during the three-day event. The group's purpose is to exchange best practices and clinical insights, while building a network of experts intent on moving robotics from early adopters to generalized usage in electrophysiology.
In addition to a growing base of product champions, an increasing number of peer-reviewed publications – over 200 to date – are illuminating the advantages of remote magnetic catheter navigation in the treatment of a broad range of complex arrhythmias. Recently published clinical data include "Catheter Ablation of Ventricular Tachycardias Using Remote Magnetic Navigation," Szili-Torok et al (2012), a consecutive case-control study which demonstrated that the use of magnetic navigation offers significant advantages for ablation of both non-structural heart disease-VT and structural heart disease-VT; and "Long-Term Efficacy of Single Procedure Remote Magnetic Catheter Navigation of Ablation of Ischemic Ventricular Tachycardia," Dinov et al (2012), which found that magnetic navigation of ischemic sustained VT is equally effective compared with manual ablation in terms of acute and long-term success rates.
To further validate the clinical strengths of the Epoch platform, the Company is launching its first-ever randomized, multi-center study in Europe and has selected four study sites. HRS participants can discuss additional research interests at the Company's booth, as well as preview Stereotaxis product enhancements in development. These innovations come on the heels of several major advancements to the Epoch suite launched since HRS 2012, including the new TargetNav and TargetNav Line automation features for magnetic navigation, the second generation Odyssey® Vision QHD and the V-Sono™1 ICE catheter manipulator module for the Vdrive™ platform.
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. With over 100 patents for use in a hospital's interventional surgical suite, Stereotaxis helps physicians around the world provide unsurpassed patient care with robotic precision and safety, improved lab efficiency and productivity, and enhanced collaboration of life-saving 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 Mechanical Navigation system and consumables.
The core components of Stereotaxis systems have received regulatory clearance in the U.S., Europe, Canada and elsewhere. The V-Loop™ circular catheter manipulator is currently in clinical trials in order to obtain clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; the Company also is pursuing U.S. clearance for the V-Sono™ ICE catheter manipulator. For more information, please visit www.stereotaxis.com.
1Approved in Europe and Canada; U.S. clearance under review
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, our continued access to capital and financial resources on a timely basis and on terms that are acceptable, our continued listing on the Nasdaq Global Market, 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 our systems and the timing of such purchases, the outcome of various shareholder litigation recently filed against us, 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.