Record Status This is a bibliographic record of a published health technology assessment. No evaluation of the quality of this assessment has been made for the HTA database. Citation Stereotaxis niobe magnetic navigation system (Stereotaxis Inc.) for catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias. Lansdale: HAYES, Inc.. Healthcare Technology Brief Publication. 2013 Authors' conclusions Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a cardiac arrhythmia that is characterized by loss of the normal sinoatrial electrical signal and rapid, uncoordinated atrial contractions. Atrial fibrillation affects more than 2.2 million individuals in the United States. Medical therapies include antiarrhythmic medications, implantable cardioverter defibrillators and pacemakers, and catheter ablation. Manual (hand-held) catheter radiofrequency ablation of the atrioventricular (AV) node is an established treatment modality for drug-refractory symptomatic patients with atrial fibrillation. This procedure involves a specialized catheter designed to deliver energy (e.g., electrical, thermal), which is threaded into the atrium under fluoroscopic guidance to create a lesion in specific sites in the atrial tissue. The lesions modify the electrical properties of the atrium and eliminate fibrillation. Although effective, manual navigation of catheter ablation has several limitations, including imprecise catheter manipulation and poor stability, heavy reliance on physician skill, long surgical time, physician fatigue, and radiation exposure for the patient and clinical staff. Indexing Status Subject indexing assigned by CRD MeSH Atrial Septum; Capsule Endoscopes; Catheter Ablations; Equipment Design; Magnetics; Stereotaxic Techniques; Surgery, Computer-Assisted Language Published English Country of organisation United States English summary An English language summary is available. Address for correspondence HAYES, Inc., 157 S. Broad Street, Suite 200, Lansdale, PA 19446, USA. Tel: 215 855 0615; Fax: 215 855 5218 Email: hayesinfo@hayesinc.com AccessionNumber 32013000841 Date abstract record published 13/11/2013 |