CardioFocus HeartLight EAS to be presented at Venice Arrhytmias 2011

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CardioFocus announced that its HeartLight endoscopic ablation system (EAS) for the treatment of atrial fibrillation will be highlighted in both an abstract presentation and a “live case” session, at the upcoming Venice Arrhythmias 2011 conference (October 9–12, Venice, Italy).

“Venice Arrhythmias is a renowned conference for cardiac electrophysiology specialists, and we are excited that our technology has been selected to have such a prominent role in this year’s scientific sessions,” said Stephen Sagon, president and CEO of CardioFocus.

On Sunday, 9 October, Melanie Gunawardene, Cardioangiologisches Centrum Bethanien, Frankfurt, Germany, will present an abstract entitled, “Does pulmonary vein anatomy play a role for acute success of pulmonary vein isolation using the endoscopic ablation system?” The study evaluates the ability of a single HeartLight EAS catheter to ablate pulmonary veins of varying anatomical shapes in 29 unselected paroxysmal atrial fibrillation patients.

On Tuesday, 11 October, in a live case presentation, the HeartLight EAS will be used to perform pulmonary vein isolation on a patient with persistent atrial fibrillation. “A case of laser balloon atrial fibrillation ablation” will be conducted at Dell’Angelo Hospital, Venice-Mestre, Italy, one of the first centres in the world to treat patients with this novel technological approach.

The case will be performed by Sakis Themistoclakis, Dell’Angelo Hospital and Andrea Natale, Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at St. David’s Medical Center, Austin, Texas, USA. The live case session will be chaired by Petr Neuzil, Na Homolce Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic, and will be presented in the Carnelutti Room at 1 pm local time.

Themistoclakis commented, “My colleagues and I have seen very positive clinical outcomes with the HeartLight device in treating paroxysmal patients, with nearly all veins remaining isolated years after the initial procedure. Because of these experiences, we are encouraged to begin treating patients with persistent forms of atrial fibrillation using this particularly effective technology.”

Since its introduction in 2009, the visually-guided HeartLight EAS has been used to treat approximately 400 patients with atrial fibrillation in the United States and in Europe. It incorporates a compliant, dynamically adjustable balloon catheter designed for improved contact with the pulmonary vein ostium, and utilises laser energy for more efficient, durable and precise ablation treatment.