Radiation Reduction

Interventional physicians work in an environment that is particularly damaging to their long-term health. As interventional medicine continues to grow and mature as a field, more is being learned about the potential dangers associated with its procedures. Excessive radiation exposure, for instance, is associated with a myriad of costly, long term health issues, including an increased risk of cancer, burns to the skin, and a greater risk for developing cataracts. These dangers are well established and a major concern to physicians. Stereotaxis reduces the amount of radiation exposure during cardiac ablation procedures, for patients and clinicians alike. Data from a Stereotaxis clinical trial showed that by using Stereotaxis to perform electrophysiology procedures, clinicians can project a reduction in radiation exposure exceeding 90% over the course of an average career.

radiation reduction

Keeping the physician out of the x-ray field also eliminates the need to wear lead aprons during these procedures, which can cause serious ergonomic injury. A survey published in the American Journal of Cardiology showed that more than half of interventional cardiologists have been treated for back or neck pain, resulting in a significant increase in lost work days. The Stereotaxis system allows for a relaxed, seated, user to protect his or her own health while focusing completely on the needs of the patient.

For patients, a prospective randomized comparison study published by Dr. Mark Wood from the Medical College of Virginia showed a 44% reduction in radiation exposure for patients undergoing ablation of supraventricular tachycardia1. A study from Prof. Tamas Tzili-Torok at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam showed greater than 50% reduction in radiation exposure for a group of patients treated for ventricular tachycardia with Stereotaxis versus a group treated with manual ablation techniques2.

  • 1. Wood M, Haffajee C, Ellenbogen K, Ramaswamy K, Wilkinson D, Johnson E, Wharton J, Chinitz L, Zivin A, Doyle T, Warner K, Sehra R. Prospective, Randomized Trial of Remote Magnetic versus Manual Catheter Navigation for Ablation of Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT): The Stereotaxis Heart Trial. Circulation 2006;114:II_705.
  • 2.. Schwagten B, Witsenburg M, De Groot N, Jordaens L, Szili-Torok T. Effect of magnetic navigation system on procedure times and radiation risk in children undergoing catheter ablation. Am J Cardiol 2010;106:69-72.