Imricor’s VISABL-VT Trial is Underway

Imricor Medical Systems Inc. has begun the VISABL-VT clinical trial, completing the first-in-human ventricular ablation guided by real-time MRI with its NorthStar Mapping System. The procedure was performed by a team at Amsterdam University Medical Centre (a Newsweek best hospital this year).

“We formed Imricor in 2006 with the goal of delivering MRI-compatible catheters and systems that would enable real-time MRI guidance of complex ventricular and atrial ablation procedures, where the power of MRI has the potential to deliver better, faster, safer, and less expensive treatment for patients suffering from irregular heartbeats. This achievement is a huge milestone for both Imricor and Amsterdam UMC,” Imricor Chair/CEO Steve Wedan stated.

The procedure marked several world firsts: It was the first ventricular ablation to be guided by real-time magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and it was the first left-sided ablation to be performed under real-time MRI guidance. The patient was treated for right-sided and left-sided premature ventricular complexes (PVCs).

“During ablation, MRI-images provide a better view of the anatomy of the heart and the instruments used for treatment, but also of the changes made to the treated cardiac tissue. Unlike X-ray images, the entire area surrounding the heart can be seen, including the blood vessels and valves. And the MRI offers the opportunity during the procedure to visualize the effects of the treatment on the myocardial tissue,” said Marco Götte, imaging cardiologist at Amsterdam UMC, initiator and project leader of the cardiac intervention MRI research program.

Amsterdam UMC has a long history in developing MRI-guided cardiac interventions. “The patient is doing well; the procedure went according to plan and the arrhythmia has been eliminated. We are therefore extremely proud that with our years of preparation, we have now reached the point where we are the first in the world to be able to treat complex forms of cardiac arrhythmias in an MRI scanner,” concluded Cor Allaart, professor of Electrophysiology and cardiologist at Amsterdam UMC.

Founded nearly 20 years ago in the Twin Cities (Minnesota) area, Imricor has quickly grown to be the world’s first and only company to bring commercially viable and safe iCMR products to the catheter ablation market. The firm is based in Burnsville, Minn.