Hansen Medical showcased its new Lynx Robotic Ablation Catheter for the first time at Venice Arrhythmias 2009 (4–7 October) in Venice, Italy. The Lynx catheter is a small, flexible irrigated ablation catheter to offer stability during the treatment of atrial fibrillation. The company also showed its Sensei X Robotic Catheter System and the Artisan Extend Control Catheter at the conference, which were introduced on 15 September 2009.
The new Lynx robotic ablation catheter is supported by the Sensei X platform and leverages the navigation capability of the Artisan Extend catheter, but in a smaller and more flexible integrated profile for the treatment of atrial fibrillation and other electrophysiology disorders. Offering a 7F irrigated ablation tip with a standard sized sheath, the new Lynx catheter has six degrees of freedom that facilitates placement in difficult to reach anatomic locations. Pending CE mark approval, the Lynx catheter is expected to be available in the European Union within the first half of 2010.
“The Lynx catheter is thinner and safe and its ablations were consistent with my prior experience with other irrigated ablation devices,” said Josef Kautzner, head of the Department of Cardiology, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic. “In addition, the learning curve for the new catheter may be shorter, which I believe will help a broader group of physicians to perform complex ablation procedures for the treatment of atrial fibrillation with greater effectiveness.”
The Sensei X system is the next generation flexible robotic platform that integrates advanced levels of 3D catheter control with 3D visualisation, a synergistic technology combination that provides enhanced accuracy and stability to the physician. The Sensei X platform supports the new Artisan Extend control catheter, which increases the reachability and navigation properties of the existing Artisan catheter by offering more than 20% improvement in both bend and reach. As a result, physicians have the ability to place catheters deliberately and accurately within the heart. In addition, the Artisan Extend catheter offers improvements in setup and workflow, designed to improve usability and reduce procedure time.
In addition, the Sensei X platform provides physicians with improved procedural planning and workflow, and enhancements in catheter control. During clinical evaluations, physicians indicated that the Sensei X system and the Artisan Extend control catheter improved their technical capabilities during EP procedures, while continuing to reduce radiation exposure to both patient and physician.
The company began shipping the new Sensei X system in the third quarter of 2009 in the US and the European Union. The company also began shipping the Artisan Extend catheter in the US in the third quarter of 2009 and it expects that the Artisan Extend catheter will receive the CE mark in the fourth quarter of 2009.
