Abbott Labs, the medical device and pharmaceutical maker, said a new sensor will help in the diagnosis and treatment of atrial fibrillation, a heart condition linked to strokes and heart attacks.
The new sensor, CE Mark for TactiCath Contact Force Ablation Catheter, Sensor-enabled, will also cut post-procedure costs 15 percent (over $3,400, on average), Abbott Labs said in a release.
Because the new sensor helps doctors diagram and navigate each patient’s heart, it will better enable surgeons to determine where to create pressure points or lesions to correct the heart’s rhythms.
Dr. Srijoy Mahapatra, Abbott’s medical director for electrophysiology, said the advanced sensor will help whittle down the complexities associated even with lengthy procedures.
"Integration with the EnSite Precision cardiac mapping system provides an unprecedented opportunity to help patients suffering with atrial fibrillation," Mahapatra said in the release.
Dr. Martin Lowe of London’s St. Bartholomew’s Hospital said using the TactiCath along with other Abbott-developed cardiac technologies would create a “powerful” treatment option.
"Feeling confident in the accuracy of the contact force reading allows me to target the optimal pressure for creating effective and safe lesions," Lowe said in the release.
