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UMC will have the most accurate and stable control of catheter movement during complex cardiac procedures performed for patients suffering from heart rhythm disorders.

By University Communications
October 24, 2008

Now, cardiologists at University Medical Center will have the most accurate and stable control of catheter movement during complex cardiac procedures performed for patients suffering from heart rhythm disorders (cardiac arrhythmias).

UMC recently acquired the first generation Hansen Sensei Robotic Catheter system and Artisan Control Catheter for use during complex interventional catheter-based procedures. The robotic system is designed to facilitate minimally invasive catheter-based procedures in the heart by providing physicians with more control over catheter placement compared to manual technique used today.

"Over the last two decades, catheter ablation therapy has revolutionized the approach to many cardiac arrhythmias," said Dr. Peter Ott, associate professor of Clinical Medicine and director of the electrophysiology lab at The University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center.

"In the past, patients with irregular heart rhythms would have had to take daily medications, often for life. Many of these rhythm abnormalities can now be permanently cured with a catheter ablation procedure."

Recent advances in robotic technology have entered the realm of catheter treatment for cardiac arrhythmias. These technologies offer more precise catheter maneuverability, which is expected to translate into improved patient outcomes.

This is especially true in the treatment of complex arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation. In addition, these technologies use less radiation when performing these procedures, a big plus for patients and staff alike.

Ott said: "UMC performed approximately 170-200 catheter ablation procedures per year. The recent acquisition of the Robotic Catheter system is a welcomed addition. There are other high-tech tools already in use at UMC such as a 3-dimensional mapping system and 3-dimensional cardiac imaging. The Robotic Catheter system will assist in treating patients with a variety of cardiac arrhythmias."

Arrhythmias, or electrical problems of the heart, affect millions of people each year. Nearly two million people in the United States suffer from a specific form of arrhythmia called atrial fibrillation, or AF. AF is a complex arrhythmia in which the atria (the upper chambers of the heart) beat rapidly and never adequately fill the ventricles (the lower chambers) with blood.

This results in inadequate blood flow to the body and may lead to stroke as the blood in the atria pools and may form clots that can dislodge and travel to the brain. According to the American College of Cardiology, approximately 75,000 strokes occur each year as a result of AF and these numbers continue to escalate in an aging population.

The majority of electrophysiology, or EP, procedures are performed using a manual technique that required physicians to perform a series of complex manipulations at one end of the catheter with inadequate assurance that the tip of the catheter would respond as desired while inside a patient's heart. As a result, achieving stable contact at every anatomic site within the heart necessary for a successful EP procedure could be difficult. Robotic technology improves catheter manipulation.

UMC opened in 1971 and is the primary teaching hospital of the UA Colleges of Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. UMC also is affiliated with Centers of Excellence at the Arizona Health Sciences Center, including the Arizona Respiratory Center, the Arizona Center on Aging, the Arizona Arthritis Center, the UA Sarver Heart Center, the Steele Children's Research Center and the Arizona Cancer Center, among others.