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Hansen Medical and Siemens Healthcare announced agreement to co-develop integrated products to advance treatment of irregular heartbeats

Hansen Medical , Inc. and Siemens Healthcare announced joint development and cooperation agreements to co-develop integrated products designed to help simplify complex cardiac procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats.

The agreements will enable the creation of integrated product solutions by combining Siemens' Artis zee family of angiography systems and the syngo DynaCT Cardiac (angiographic computed tomography) with Hansen Medical's Sensei X Robotic Catheter System. The integrated products will be designed to enable electrophysiologists to perform complex cardiac procedures with greater confidence and improved efficiency.

Cardiac arrhythmias can drastically reduce the quality of life and can also lead to serious health risks including heart failure and stroke. Nearly 550,000 new patients are diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmias in the United States each year, and arrhythmias cause approximately 250,000 deaths annually according to the Heart Rhythm Foundation and the American College of Cardiology. The condition also affects over 4.5 million people in Europe.

"For Siemens Healthcare, the joint development and cooperation agreement with Hansen Medical is another important step towards integrated solutions advancing the quality of care for an increased number of patients," said Dr. Heinrich Kolem, CEO Angio-, Fluoroscopic- & Radiographic Systems for Siemens. "We believe the combination of our efforts will enable us to offer our customers significant improvements in workflow during the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias."

The Sensei X system is the next generation flexible robotic platform that integrates advanced levels of 3D catheter control with 3D visualization. This innovative technology is designed to provide fine catheter control while mapping in 3D to enhance the physician's ability to access hard-to-reach cardiac anatomy and maintain stability during complex cardiac arrhythmia procedures.

Siemens' Artis zee systems including Artis zeego, the first multi-axis system based on robotic technology, are ideal for cardiac diagnostics and interventions, even hybrid procedures. The flexible and ergonomic design enables clinicians to optimally adapt the system configuration to focus on interventional cardiology, pediatric and electrophysiology applications with tableside operation. In addition, the syngo DynaCT Cardiac enables CT-like imaging of the heart with an angiocardiographic system during cardiac procedures, so that physicians can visualize the left atrium and pulmonary veins in 3D.

"Hansen Medical is committed to improving the clinical experience of electrophysiologists worldwide, and we are extremely pleased to be collaborating with Siemens Healthcare to develop integrated products that offer comprehensive solutions," said Frederic Moll, M.D., CEO, Hansen Medical. "These joint agreements will allow both companies to offer enhanced procedural planning and workflow, as well as improved capabilities to customers. The design of our integrated solution will improve visualization and instinctive driving within 3D anatomical models, resulting in improved catheter navigation and contact while inside a patient's heart."

The Sensei X platform is built upon an open architecture design and Hansen Medical's commitment to open architecture allows for successful collaboration with a broad range of leading imaging companies.

Source: Hansen Medical, Inc.