Stereotaxis, Inc. (NASDAQ:STXS), a global leader in innovative
technologies for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, and
University Medical Center (UMC) New Orleans, the academic medical
center of LCMC Health, today announced the first procedures
performed using the Stereotaxis suite of products for
electrophysiology (EP) ablation at UMC. The platform includes the
Niobe® ES remote magnetic navigation system, the Vdrive® robotic
navigation system and Odyssey® information management solutions for
lab optimization.
“We are proud to bring the most advanced solutions for treating
complicated, debilitating conditions such as ventricular
tachycardia and atrial fibrillation to the New Orleans community
and surrounding areas,” said Jay Buras, Vice President of
Operations at UMC New Orleans. “We are pleased to have the
opportunity to enhance patient and operator safety, improve
clinical workflow and optimize patient outcomes in EP, while
elevating our commitment to shaping the future of healthcare for
the region.”
The Stereotaxis lab at UMC New Orleans is led by expert EP
practitioners and educators in the area, including Dr. Colleen
Johnson, Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology at Tulane Heart and
Vascular Institute, and Dr. Paul LeLorier, Director of
Electrophysiology Services at LSU Health Sciences Center, both
partners of UMC. The first procedure was performed on a patient
with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (a form of tachycardia) by Dr.
Jameel Ahmed.
“This patient’s condition had resulted in multiple
hospitalizations and significant work restrictions,” said Dr.
Ahmed. “The Stereotaxis system allowed for very precise and stable
catheter movements, even in the presence of cardiac and respiratory
motion, and we were able to fully ablate the affected tissues
within 30 seconds. At follow-up, the patient’s EKG continues to be
normal and there have been no complications – a definite
success.”
About ElectrophysiologyElectrophysiology
(EP) is often used to help correct heart arrhythmias through
catheter ablation, which is a treatment that cauterizes (burns)
cardiac tissue to eliminate rhythm abnormalities in patients.
During an EP procedure, the electrophysiologist (a cardiologist
with specialized training in the electrical system of the heart)
threads special electrode catheters (long, thin, flexible wire
assemblies) to the heart, normally gaining access to the
vasculature through the groin area. Once the area of the heart
responsible for the arrhythmia is identified, a special wire
carrying radiofrequency energy is used to ablate the site.
About Stereotaxis TechnologyLaunched in
December 2011, the Niobe ES system, Stereotaxis’ latest generation
remote magnetic navigation system, magnetically controls the
working tip of an ablation catheter and provides remote instrument
control outside the X-ray fluoroscopy field during a cardiac
ablation procedure. Its unique design and digital automations
enable safe access to difficult-to-reach areas of the heart,
precise control of therapeutic and diagnostic devices, and
consistent tissue contact, resulting in efficient and successful
procedures. The Vdrive robotic navigation system, in combination
with Niobe ES, provides navigation and stability for diagnostic and
ablation devices designed with key features to assist in the
delivery of better ablations. Integrating a vast amount of clinical
lab information into one large screen and a single mouse and
keyboard control, the Odyssey information management solution
allows physicians to focus on a consolidated view of the most
relevant information during each step of the procedure and maximize
procedure efficiency.
About University Medical Center New
OrleansOpened in August 2015, University Medical Center
New Orleans is the academic medical center of LCMC Health, a
Louisiana-based, not-for-profit health system. UMC New Orleans
encompasses a 2.3 million square foot campus anchoring the
developing biomedical district. With a capacity for 446 beds,
including 60 behavioral health beds, UMC New Orleans offers
comprehensive primary care and specialty care, cutting-edge
research and the region’s only Level 1 Trauma Center. As the
state’s largest teaching hospital and training facility for many of
the state’s physicians, nurses and allied health professionals, UMC
New Orleans plays an integral role in shaping the future of
healthcare for the region. It serves as a key partner of LSU Health
Sciences Center New Orleans, Tulane University School of Medicine
and other academic institutions. UMC New Orleans was
conceptualized, built and funded by the state of Louisiana. It is
leased and managed by LCMC Health, which also manages Children’s
Hospital, Touro, New Orleans East Hospital and West Jefferson
Medical Center. For more information, go to www.umcno.org.
About StereotaxisStereotaxis 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 United States, 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 clearance in the United States,
Canada, and the European Union. 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 United States, 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.
STXS Company Contact:
Martin Stammer
Chief Financial Officer
314-678-6155
STXS Investor Contact:
Todd Kehrli / Jim Byers
MKR Group, Inc.
323-468-2300
stxs@mkr-group.com
UMC New Orleans Contact:
Siona LaFrance
Dir. of Marketing & Public Affairs
504-702-3769
siona.lafrance@lcmchealth.org