Niobe®
Magnetically guided catheterisation
Niobe® is used to treat atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and AV nodal reentry tachycardia.
Note: PPM Consult Ltd. has no contractual or financial relationship with Strereotaxis, the manufacturers of the Niobe® system. For full details visit the Stereotaxis web site.
Magnetic guidance replaces wires
Catheters are inserted through veins in the groin and then guided to the heart. Until recently they were positioned using guidewires but the Niobe® system enables the surgeon to navigate the catheter remotely. The patient lies between two large magnetic coils, which are used to manipulate small magnets integrated into the tip of the soft and flexible catheter.
The surgeon views the catheter on his monitor and re-aligns the magnetic field, to guide the catheter very accurately, to the millimetre, into the heart chamber. The electrophysiologist can advance and retract the catheter in the heart with a separate control module.
The surgeon views the catheter on his monitor and re-aligns the magnetic field, to guide the catheter very accurately, to the millimetre, into the heart chamber. The electrophysiologist can advance and retract the catheter in the heart with a separate control module.
The strong magnetic field and special flexible catheter ensure particularly stable contact with the heart muscle. In addition, the catheters used are extremely soft and flexible to minimise trauma to the heart and blood vessel walls.
External magnetic guidance replaces internal guide wires
X-ray exposure is considerably reduced for doctor and patient alike.
The clinician decides which patients are to be treated with the Niobe® system and which are to be treated manually. The decisive criteria include the size of the atrium, secondary disorders, the patient’s condition and the course of the irregular heart rhythm.
A1Med currently features the following centre for Niobe® heart catheterisation
Klinik Hirslanden, Zurich, Switzerland
Klinik Hirslanden is the flagship hospital of the Hirslanden Group, Switzerland's largest private healthcare provider. The Klinik invests heavily in the latest medical technologies, including Trilogy® stereotactic radiotherapy, Intrabeam® single-treatment radiotherapy for certain breast cancer tumours, CyberKnife® radiosurgery, da Vinci® minimally invasive robotic surgery and much more.
Visit the Klinik Hirslanden Cardiology page
Whilst catheterisation is an inavasive procedure, the use of magnetic guidance from outside the body rather than mechanical means within makes this a welcome advance. One or more treatment centres promoted by A1Med offers the Niobe® system and as this may not already be well known in some countries we are pleased to provide some details here.
Where Niobe® is used, the specialist’s experience plays a vital role in analysing and co-ordinating the information provided by the various systems: X-rays, stereotaxis, the mapping system (Carto, NavX) and the electrical signals.
www.a1med.co.uk
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Important note to all patients
PPM Consult Ltd. promotes selected clinics and certain specialities within individual hospitals in association with Medilux Healthcare Ltd. (MHL), where we believe the standards of care or medical equipment to be exceptional. We provide you with general information but we cannot advise or enter into correspondence about individual cases and we do not arrange or facilitate treatments. We shall not be responsible for the outcome of any treatment or failure to diagnose or treat and we recommend that all patients obtain professional medical advice on their proposed treatments.