Estech (San Ramon, CA) has released its COBRA Fusion epicardial ablation system having received both U.S. and European approvals for the device earlier this Spring.
The minimally invasive Fusion system uses suction to tug on the target tissue and bring it into probe where RF energy ablates it, isolating the target section from the rest of the blood flowing through the heart and resulting in more predictable lesions.
More from the announcement:
The COBRA Fusion ablation system incorporates proprietary Versapolar™ technology — an exclusive innovation that delivers both bipolar and monopolar radiofrequency (RF) energy to the targeted cardiac tissue, enabling transmural lesion formation in thin and thick cardiac tissue. As with all COBRA® ablation systems, the new device is powered by Estech’s patented temperature controlled radiofrequency (TCRF) energy which continuously monitors and maintains tissue temperature at target levels throughout the procedure. TCRF avoids the need for multiple applications that other technologies often require and ensures that tissue temperatures remain within a safe and effective range.
James L. Cox, M.D., the pioneer and creator of the Cox‐Maze procedure stated: “I have had the recent opportunity to observe the clinical use of this new device in several patients. The historical problem of attaining atrial wall transmurality reliably in a beating, working heart by applying ablative energy from the epicardium only, appears to have been solved with this new device.” Dr. Cox added: “The ability to involute the atrial wall into the ablation device itself using suction allows for the application of radiofrequency energy to both sides of the involuted tissue, thereby creating reproducible transmural and contiguous linear lesions for the first time off‐pump. Moreover, the device is small enough to fit through a standard port, using an endoscopic port‐access approach. I believe that this device represents a significant addition to the surgeon’s armamentarium in the field of cardiac ablation.”
Press release: Estech Launches Next Generation Technology, the COBRA Fusion™ System for Cardiac Ablation
