Jul 31 2015
LuxCath LLC, a medical technology company that is developing catheter-based real-time tissue contact assessment, lesion visualization, and lesion gap detection technology, announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued U.S. Patent No. 9,084,611 entitled "Systems and Methods for Visualizing Ablated Tissue.”
LuxCath’s technology for directly visualizing tissue and lesions in real time has initial application in the treatment of Atrial Fibrillation (AF). AF is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, in the U.S., affecting more than 2 million people, or about 1 in every 150 individuals. The relatively new but minimally invasive procedure used to restore the heartbeat to a normal pace, known as Radio Frequency Catheter Ablation (RFCA), optimally requires a real-time, lesion-identifying, direct visualization tool in order to be performed consistently, effectively, quickly and safely.
“The benefits of directly interrogating the tissue optically in real time allow us to understand if we have good contact with the tissue while also revealing enormous amounts of information about the tissue before, during and after the ablation, which previously had not been available,” said Dr. Omar Amirana, M.D., LuxCath Chief Executive Officer and Senior Vice President at Boston-based Allied Minds. “We are introducing new windows into the science of ablation therapy for all arrhythmias with this technology. While we are focused on AF, this should significantly improve clinical outcomes, reduce procedure times, minimize procedure costs, and positively impact burdensome re-treatments for all ablation procedures.”
LuxCath’s technology can monitor tissue ablation in real time to help ensure the elimination of gaps of viable tissue between the lesions during an RFCA procedure. The technology also has the benefit of determining the quality of electrode-tissue contact. This medical innovation is based on collaborative research and development with researchers and faculty at the George Washington University, as well as the product development team at Nocturnal Product Development (NPD).
“The technology is impressive as it can operate as a standalone catheter or it can be easily integrated into existing ablation catheters. It is unheard of to have such a clear and unaltered view of the activity underneath the endocardium before, during and after a cardiac ablation,” commented Terry Ransbury, NPD co-owner and co-founder.
“We believe this technology can become integral to the detection of gaps in lesions during an ablation procedure, which should improve outcomes,” stated KC Armstrong, NPD co-owner and co-founder. NPD is the development partner for LuxCath technology and has been integral to developing and testing the LuxCath systems.
More information about LuxCath can be found at www.luxcath.com. The company is a subsidiary of Allied Minds. (LSE: ALM)
Source: http://www.luxcath.com/