COVER STORY

Since turning its attention to the cardiology applications of its technology, in 1997, Stereotaxis has focused the bulk of its time and energy on developing solutions for electrophysiologists, who use the company's ablation catheters to treat cardiac arrhythmias. But the remote magnetic navigation capabilities of the Stereotaxis system also offer potential for the delivery of therapies in a wide variety of related applications.

In recent years, Stereotaxis has begun to apply its platform technology to the delivery of wires that guide interventional cardiology procedures in the coronary and peripheral vasculature. In difficult anatomies, it can become problematic to deliver these guidewires manually.

Stereotaxis aims to create a new model for vascular intervention by bringing integrated information, computer-aided devices, and advanced networking into the vascular lab. Overall, the technology has already been effective in treating more than 2000 patients with cardiovascular disease, in addition to its more than 8000 electrophysiology procedures.

At this October's Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics conference in Washington, DC, Stereotaxis demonstrated some of its guidewire delivery solutions for patients with complex vascular problems. In three cases broadcast live at the symposium, physicians used the Stereotaxis magnetic navigation system to perform the following procedures.