ST. LOUIS, Feb. 18, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stereotaxis, Inc. (Nasdaq:STXS) and Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) of Saint-Étienne, France, today announced the installation of the hospital's second Niobe® remote magnetic navigation system for the treatment of complex arrhythmias through electrophysiology (EP) ablation. To celebrate the launch of the new Stereotaxis lab, the hospital held a grand opening ceremony on February 3. CHU of Saint-Étienne represents the first healthcare provider in Europe to utilize two Niobe systems for clinical procedures.
"Our incredible success with the Niobe system has necessitated the opening of a second lab to manage the continually growing patient demand for this high-tech solution," said Antoine Da Costa, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Electrophysiology Unit at CHU of Saint-Étienne and principal Niobe user at the site. "We have discovered distinct advantages with the Niobe system over manual approaches to arrhythmia ablation, including extremely reliable navigation and catheter stability, considerably less safety risk for both patient and operator and greater maneuverability in difficult clinical situations. The results have elevated our status to a world-class, modern cardiology institution."
The EP Unit at CHU of Saint-Étienne first implemented Stereotaxis technology in 2009. Since then, they have become a national center of excellence, consistently ranked in the top five for interventional cardiology in France, as well as a European center of reference in the treatment of complex arrhythmias. Dr. Da Costa and his EP colleagues perform approximately 3,000 procedures each year, including about 700 arrhythmia ablations, and have published three clinical papers on the efficacy of remote magnetic navigation in complex arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation.
About Electrophysiology
Electrophysiology (EP) is often used to help correct heart arrhythmias through catheter ablation, which is a treatment that cauterizes (burns) cells to eliminate rhythm abnormalities in patients. During an EP procedure, the electrophysiologist (a cardiologist with specialized training in the electrical system of the heart) will thread special electrode catheters (long, thin, flexible wire assemblies) to the heart, normally gaining access to the vasculature through the groin area. Once it is determined which area of the heart is responsible for the arrhythmia, a special wire carrying radiofrequency energy is used to cauterize the site.
About CHU of Saint Étienne
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) de Saint-Étienne is one of the largest healthcare providers in the southeastern region of France, offering a full range of specialties and general hospital services. CHU of Saint-Étienne follows a modernization program to provide cutting-edge care and serves as a reference center in numerous specialties. The mission of the Hospital is to treat complex patients needing specialized diagnosis or treatments, as well as promote innovation and progress in diagnosis and therapeutic methods through partnerships with the University and prestigious university-level colleges in Saint-Étienne. In 2014, CHU of Saint-Étienne had three hospital locations and 60 clinical departments.
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. Over 100 issued patents support the Stereotaxis platform, which helps physicians around the world provide unsurpassed patient care with robotic precision and safety, improved lab efficiency and productivity, and enhanced integration of procedural 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 navigation system and consumables.
The core components of Stereotaxis systems have received regulatory clearance in the U.S., European Union, Canada, China, Japan and elsewhere. The V-Sono™ ICE catheter manipulator, V-Loop™ variable loop catheter manipulator and V-CAS™ catheter advancement system have received U.S. clearance. For more information, please visit www.stereotaxis.com.
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, the Company's ability to raise additional capital on a timely basis and on terms that are acceptable, its ability to continue to manage expenses and cash burn rate at sustainable levels, its ability to continue to work with lenders to extend, repay or refinance indebtedness on acceptable terms, 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 its systems and the timing of such purchases, 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.