Cryosurgery for Treatment of Arrhythmias

A cryosurgery system uses specially designed malleable cryoprobes to create long linear lesions through the heart wall to block the aberrant electrical signals that cause arrhythmia. The temperature-based system has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the surgical treatment of arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation.

The system was developed by Endocare, Inc. (Irvine, CA, USA). The company's cryoablation technology has also been used to treat prostate cancer and benign prostate hyperplasia. Under clinical development are cryosurgical technologies for treating tumors in other organs, including the kidney, breast, and liver. Currently, Endocare is in discussions with a number of potential partners regarding its new cardiac treatment technology.

According to Dr. Audrius Bredikis, of Loyola University (Chicago, IL, USA), Endocare's procedure offers a number of advantages over existing technologies. "The Cryocare system is a more-controlled technology that yields a potential to reduce side effects traditionally related to surgical treatments of arrhythmias. In short, this is a procedure that is safer, faster, and more widely applicable than other procedures being used today.”




Related Links:
Endocare