Versatile Cardiac Mapping System Assists Arrhythmia Treatment

An updated cardiac mapping system (CMS) has been designed to help physicians more efficiently diagnose and guide therapy to treat abnormal heart rhythms.

The revised EnSite Velocity CMS is intended for use in minimally invasive electrophysiology procedures and offers simple setup and connections, an intuitive software interface, and includes two key new capabilities; the OneMap tool enables physicians to create a detailed cardiac model and electrical map using multiple catheters and electrodes, allowing them to collect and display more relevant patient information in a shorter amount of time. The RealReview function additionally provides real-time, side-by-side views of the live procedure and previously recorded portions of the procedure. This feature gives physicians a quick and easy comparison of events and results at different times throughout the procedure, without losing the ability to visualize and navigate catheters in real-time.

The EnSite Velocity system also reduces fluoroscopy exposure, reducing potential for risks associated with excessive exposure to X-rays, and is capable of supporting both contact and noncontact mapping. The system is open platform, and thus compatible with essentially all diagnostic and ablation catheters, recording systems, and energy sources used for ablation procedures. The EnSite Velocity CMS is a product of St. Jude Medical (St. Paul, MN, USA), and has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"We have been using the EnSite System for nearly ten years because of its ability to display and map electrical signals from multiple catheters and electrodes, and its convenience of being an open platform,” said Walid Saliba, M.D., of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (OH, USA). "The next-generation EnSite Velocity System also allows us to treat patients with any arrhythmia and navigate the heart with potential reduction in procedural time.”

During an endoscopy procedure, catheters with electrodes are inserted into a cardiac chamber; these electrodes are then located or visualized by the CMS, which records electrical information from the heart and displays it in a three-dimensional (3D) anatomical model. The highly detailed anatomical models, or maps, enable physicians to diagnose and guide therapy for arrhythmia.

Related Links:
St. Jude Medical
Cleveland Clinic Foundation