Maybe you’ve given to the Loyola University Health System in the last year, and you’re wondering what they spend your money on. There’s a good chance part of your donation went towards the US$ 1.5M Stereotaxis Magnetic Navigation System, a technology we’ve been excited about for quite some time now (see flashbacks below).
The magnetically guided catheter can be used to treat irregular heart beats, to open clogged arteries and to place electrical leads for certain types of pacemakers. The $1.5 million system is made by Stereotaxis, Inc.
“It allows you to go exactly where you want to go in the heart, with millimeter accuracy,” said Dr. David Wilber, director of Loyola’s Cardiovascular Institute and Division of Cardiology.
The new catheter is guided by magnets mounted on pivoting arms on either side of the patient. As the magnets pivot, the magnetic field changes, pulling the catheter in the desired direction…
In traditional systems, the cardiologist stands over the patient while manipulating the catheter. In the new system, the cardiologist sits in a control room next to the operating room. On a computer screen, the cardiologist maps out the catheter’s next move; the computer executes the move by adjusting the magnetic field.
Cool stuff. Be sure to check out Stereotaxis’ videos and animations to see the system in action.
Flashbacks: Stereotaxis ; Stereotaxis Zaps Atrial Fibrillation All Right; Philips and Stereotaxis: Joystick Precision for Complicated Caths; Review: Magnetic Navigation in Coronary Interventions