Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at St. David's Medical Center First in Nation to Use NaviStar(R) RMT ThermoCool(R) Catheter Since Technology Received FD...( New Technology Used to Treat Abnormal...),Health

New Technology Used to Treat Abnormal Heart Rhythms

AUSTIN, Texas, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, March 3, 2009, the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at St. David's Medical Center became the first in the United States to utilize the long-awaited NaviStar(R) RMT ThermoCool(R) Catheter to treat abnormal heart rhythms, or arrhythmias, since the new technology received FDA approval on Friday, Feb. 27, 2009.

The NaviStar(R) RMT ThermoCool(R) Catheter for radiofrequency (RF) ablation is used with the NIOBE(R) Magnetic Navigation System, which helps steer a catheter remotely and guide ablation to targeted areas that require treatment.

An irregular rhythm in the left upper chamber of the heart or atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia. Like other catheters, the NaviStar(R) RMT ThermoCool(R) Catheter uses heat to destroy abnormal heart muscle that causes atrial fibrillation. The new technology is unique because it sprays cooled saline. Physicians say it is safer and more effective than previous catheters and poses fewer risks for complications.

The NaviStar(R) RMT ThermoCool(R) Catheter maintains a temperature of no more than 42 degrees Celsius while ablation energy is being delivered to the heart tissue. Previously, the temperature at the tip of the catheter reached 65 degrees Celsius, which could cause blood clots on the heart tissue.

"The NaviStar(R) RMT ThermoCool(R) Catheter is revolutionary to the treatment of irregular heart rhythms," said Andrea Natale, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.H.S., executive director of the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at St. David's Medical Center and the electrophysiologist who performed the procedure. "The fact that the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute is the first in the United States to employ this leading-edge technology is proof that we are on the forefront of treatment for heart arrhythmias."

The Texas Cardiac Arr
'/>"/>