New Technology for Treating Cardiac Arrhythmias

Missouri Baptist Medical Center is the first hospital in the Midwest to offer a new advanced robotic technology for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. MoBap has begun treating patients with this advanced technology, and plans are underway for the same technology to be installed at Barnes-Jewish Hospital early next year.

Millions of individuals worldwide suffer from arrhythmias — abnormal heart rhythms including the heart beating too quickly, too slowly or with an irregular pattern. Left untreated, certain arrhythmias can significantly increase the risk of stroke, heart failure and sudden cardiac arrest.

The new technology at MoBap — robotic magnetic navigation (RMN) — introduces the benefits of robotic precision and safety to cardiac ablation, a common, minimally invasive procedure used to treat arrhythmias.

The RMN device consists of two robotically controlled magnets, a flexible catheter with a magnetic tip and an operating console. The system creates magnetic fields that can be manipulated to steer catheters with an unprecedented degree of precision and control. The catheter is controlled from its flexible tip.

RMN allows physicians to safely and effectively treat patients with complex arrhythmias, reaching areas of the heart that cannot be treated using traditional, manual techniques.

Robotic cardiac ablation is well-documented as a beneficial alternative to manual cardiac ablation. Publications have noted that the robotic procedure, on average, results in fewer adverse events and better procedure success for patients when compared with manual cardiac ablation.