X-Ray Imaging and Robotic Catheter Technology Partnership To Advance Treatment of Irregular Heartbeats

Philips Healthcare (Best, The Netherlands) and Hansen Medical, Inc. (Mountain View, CA, USA) have signed joint development and cooperation agreements on the technology.

Cardiac arrhythmias can greatly reduce the quality of life and can lead to serious health risks including heart failure and stroke. The agreements will enable the creation of integrated product solutions by combining Philips' Allura Xper X-ray system with Hansen Medical's Sensei robotic catheter system. The resulting innovations will seek to enable electrophysiologists to perform complex procedures with greater confidence and improved efficiency.

"This agreement is an important step in the development of our dedicated electrophysiology [EP] business program,” said Gerard Winkels, vice president and general manager, Electrophysiology for Philips Healthcare. "By collaborating with best-in-class companies such as Hansen Medical we're able to develop comprehensive solutions designed around the needs of the electrophysiologist.”

"We are very pleased about the relationship we have with Philips,” said Gary Restani, president and COO of Hansen Medical. "We believe that combining our efforts will allow us to provide enhanced value and improved capabilities to our customers as this alliance is targeted at developing integrated solutions that will impact not only visualization, but also instinctive driving within 3D [three-dimensional] anatomical models.”

The Sensei system allows physicians to place mapping catheters in hard-to-reach anatomic locations within the heart easily, effectively, and with stability during cardiac arrhythmia procedures.

The Philips' integrated EP lab system combines the Allura Xper X-ray range of systems with specifically designed innovations such as the EP cockpit and EP navigator to improve the lab environment, facilitating complex procedures, and integrating the EP workflow process.

Hansen Medical develops products and technology using robotics for the accurate positioning, manipulation, and control of catheters and catheter-based technologies. The Sensei system is compatible with fluoroscopy, ultrasound, 3D surface map, and patient electrocardiogram data, and was cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May 2007 for the manipulation and control of certain mapping catheters in EP procedures.

The safety and effectiveness of the Sensei system for use with cardiac ablation catheters in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation (AF), have not been established. In the European Union, the Sensei system was cleared for use during EP procedures, such as guiding catheters in the treatment of AF.

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