Siemens and Imricor partners to develop MRI scan with 3D-guided cardiac ablation
Siemens Healthineers announced its strategic partnership with Imricor medical system to develop an integrated solution that combines the clinical benefits of real-time MRI scans with 3D-guided cardiac ablation.
MRI-compatible devices are planned to be able to translate information on cardiac conduction, morphological substrates and individual patient anatomy into better treatment outcomes. This approach will potentially enable electrophysiologists around the world to treat heart arrhythmia without radiation and to use the visualization of soft tissue information obtained through MRI for this purpose.
Imricor Medical Systems CEO, Steve Wedan said that they are thrilled to partner with Siemens Healthineers with a goal of delivering comprehensive solutions for MRI-guided ablations. Together, they look forward to providing patients and physicians with MRI-compatible devices from Imricor that are fully integrated with Siemens’ iCMR-EP labs around the world. Their shared goal is to unlock the potential of interventional MRI for electrophysiology by providing better, faster, and less expensive treatment options.
Electrophysiology is one of the fastest growing fields within cardiology, especially the interventional therapy of complex arrhythmia such as atrial fibrillation (AFib/AF) and ventricular tachycardia (VT). The intervention itself involves inserting a special catheter into the heart to treat a cardiac conduction defect, a complex procedure in which optimum imaging is essential.
Dr. Christoph Zindel, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Magnetic Resonance Imaging at Siemens Healthineers said that this partnership is planned to help them better translate patients’ individual pathophysiology into personalized treatment approaches. MRI guidance will not only minimize radiation exposure to patients and EP staff. This technology will enable more detailed insights into the target anatomy and tissue properties, and holds the potential to improve clinical outcomes in arrhythmia therapy. Together with their partner Imricor, they are committed to further developing EP solutions for the benefit of the rising population of arrhythmia patients.