Tampere Heart Hospital has been using remote magnetic navigation actively since 2009, and nowadays they perform close to 100% of their VTs with Stereotaxis technology. “The Stereotaxis system enables you to navigate, map and ablate in ‘challenging’ conditions and areas. It has excellent capabilities in the ventricles of the heart,” says Dr. Heikki Mäkynen, chief cardiologist at Tampere.

The doctors at Tampere have developed a practical method of operating the system: one hand controls the magnetic field vector with a mouse while the other advances and retracts the catheter with a keypad. Below the table, one foot adds or removes tags from the 3D-mapping software while the other foot is on the ablation or on the x-ray pedal if needed.

“Due to the harsh Finnish weather conditions, we’ve had to adopt a four-wheel drive,” Dr. Mäkynen says with a smile.

Sometimes you just have to get creative… Thanks Dr. Mäkynen and team for making the best use of Stereotaxis technology!