CLEVELAND and WILMINGTON, Mass., July 25 /PRNewswire/ -- CardioOptics Inc., a developer of unique, visually guided, therapeutic systems for the less invasive treatment of heart failure, today announced Cleveland Clinic is one of the first hospitals in the nation to use its patented, forward-looking SiteSeekir(TM) Trans-Blood Vision technology to assist in complex cardiac procedures.
In essence, CardioOptics’ SiteSeekir places the physician’s eyes on the tip of the catheter to see through the blood inside the heart and blood vessels. This new “eyes inside the heart” capability is currently embedded in CardioOptics’ first FDA-cleared product, the Coronary Sinus Access (CSA) System(TM). The ability to see through blood is potentially applicable in a wide range of additional therapeutic procedures, including biventricular pacemaker implantation.
The Cleveland Clinic team currently employing the CardioOptics technology includes Dr. Jennifer Cummings, Director, Electrophysiology Research, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine; Dr. Andrea Natale, Medical Director for the Center for Atrial Fibrillation and Section Head of Pacing and Electrophysiology, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine; and Dr. Tomislav Mihaljevic, staff surgeon in the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.
“We are very excited about the CardioOptics system and have used it to visualize within the coronary sinus and its branches,” said Dr. Cummings.
Dr. Natale, Dr. Mihaljevic and their respective teams are currently involved in several studies to further define the clinical role this technology will have in the fields of electrophysiology as well as cardiothoracic surgery.
CardioOptics is focused on meeting and fulfilling the clinical demands of the rapidly growing fields of electrophysiology (EP) and minimally invasive cardiothoracic surgery by investigating the use of its core visualization technology across a broad spectrum of catheter-based cardiac procedures to address cardiac rhythm disorders.
“We are very pleased about the opportunity to collaborate with the Cleveland Clinic,” said Todd F. Davenport, President and CEO of CardioOptics. “Electrophysiology and minimally invasive cardiothoracic surgery both offer major opportunities for new therapeutic approaches, and SiteSeekir Trans-Blood Vision is breakthrough technology with the potential to significantly expand these exciting markets.”
About Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic, located in Cleveland, Ohio, is a not-for-profit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Cleveland Clinic was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation’s best hospitals in its annual “America’s Best Hospitals” survey. Approximately 1,500 full-time salaried physicians at Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic Florida represent more than 100 medical specialties and subspecialties. In 2005, 2.7 million patients came for treatment from every state and 100 countries. Cleveland Clinic website address is http://www.clevelandclinic.org.
About CardioOptics
CardioOptics, Inc., a privately held Delaware corporation founded in 1998, is headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts and has a technology development facility in Boulder, Colorado. The Company develops and commercializes unique visually guided catheter-based systems for the less invasive treatment of heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases. These systems leverage CardioOptics’ proprietary SiteSeekir(TM) Trans-Blood Vision platform technology, which holds the promise of significantly improving the quality of care for patients suffering from cardiovascular disease.
CardioOptics, CSA System, Izon, SiteSeekir, Trans-Blood Vision, TBV, TE, Transparent Electrode, Izon Catheter Ablation System are trademarks of Cardio-Optics, Inc.
U.S. 6,178,346; Additional patents pending.
Federal (USA) law restricts CardioOptics’ devices to use by or on the order of a physician.
CardioOptics Inc.
CONTACT: Angela Giovanello of Mullen PR for CardioOptics, +1-978-468-8921,angela.giovanello@mullen.com, or Kate Fox Nagel, MPH of Cleveland Clinic,+1-216-455-6472, nagelk@ccf.org
Web site: http://www.clevelandclinic.org/
