MORRISVILLE, N.C., June 3, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EP Lab Digest has published the second part of a series of single-center outcomes using the Convergent Procedure, an epicardial-endocardial ablation approach to treat patients with symptomatic, persistent and longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). AF is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, estimated to affect 5.9 million people in the U.S., with a majority of these patients falling into the persistent/longstanding persistent AF population. Persistent AF patients requiring ablative treatment often have debilitating symptoms and have failed prior antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) therapy.
The Physicians at Connecticut Cardiac Arrhythmia Center at Bridgeport Hospital evaluated 42 patients; 57% (24 of 42) had persistent AF and 43% (18 of 42) had longstanding persistent AF (average AF duration was 5.2 years). The publication reported 89% (32 of 36) of patients in sinus rhythm at an average follow-up of 13 months; 69% (25 of 36) of these patients were in sinus rhythm and off AAD therapy.
"At Bridgeport Hospital, we developed the ablation technique for comprehensive isolation of the posterior left atrium, which addresses the region where most of the underlying mechanisms for persistent AF occur," said M. Clive Robinson, MD, FRACS, of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Center at Bridgeport Hospital. "Our results with the Convergent Procedure offer new options for persistent AF patients who might otherwise be excluded from treatment."
The multidisciplinary Convergent Procedure is performed as a single procedure in the electrophysiology lab. The epicardial component of the procedure is completed with no chest incisions or ports, using the proprietary transdiaphragmatic approach that requires a 2 cm incision in the abdomen, providing the surgeon with direct visualization to create lesions across the atrium.
"As we continue to gain significant experience with the Convergent Procedure, we are pleased with the outcomes in difficult-to-treat patients," said Murali Chiravuri, MD, PhD, of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Center at Bridgeport Hospital, Bridgeport, CT. "This unique approach offers a viable treatment option for difficult patients, and it has become the cornerstone of our cardiac arrhythmia program."
This publication can be found in the current issue of EP Lab Digest at http://www.eplabdigest.com/issue
About nContact, Inc.
nContact, Inc. is a leading innovator in epicardial ablation devices and techniques. Its mission is to transform the underserved arrhythmia market through the advancement of less invasive, more efficacious ablation alternatives for cardiac arrhythmias. The Company's lead technologies, EPi-Sense® and Numeris® Coagulation Systems with VisiTrax®, have CE Mark approval in Europe for the coagulation of cardiac tissue in the treatment of atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter. The EPi-Sense and Numeris Coagulation Systems with VisiTrax are indicated for endoscopic coagulation of cardiac tissue in the U.S. nContact was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Morrisville, North Carolina, USA.