一種新型磁性導航系統能夠幫助醫生遠程控制細小導管進入心臟和臨近血管，治療心率不齊。

這種Stereotaxis技術使用磁體在體外遠程引導導管進入心臟。心血管醫生能夠通過遠程控制來精確定位導管，抵達心臟病變的確切部位。然后通過導管運動來消融或者治療心臟，阻斷異常信號的發放。

心率不齊是因為心臟正常電脈沖的次序發生改變而引起的。這會導致心臟泵功能的效率下降。如果心率不齊時間較長，會導致心臟節律變的太慢、者太快或者發生漂移。

美國Abbott西北醫院的Minneapolis心臟研究所心血管醫生William Katsiyiannis指出：“Stereotaxis為我們提供了把導管引導和放置在心臟任何部位或者相鄰血管的能力，包括那些令人難以置信的困難部位或者以前的技術所不能達到的部位。這種技術能夠改變目前我們治療需要心臟介入治療患者的現狀。”Minneapolis心臟研究所是得到公認的世界領先心臟研究所之一。

 Stereotaxis實驗室位于Abbott西北醫院。這套Stereotaxis系統是由美國Stereotaxis公司 研制開發的。
 
New Technology to Treat Arrhythmias
 
A new digital magnetic navigation system helps doctors to remotely steer small catheters throughout the heart and surrounding vessels to treat cardiac arrhythmias.

This Stereotaxis technology uses magnets outside the body to guide catheters inside the heart by remote control. Cardiologists can then precisely position the catheters via remote control to reach the exact location where the heart is malfunctioning. The catheter is then activated to ablate or treat the area in the heart by disrupting the abnormal signals.

Cardiac arrthymias are caused by a change in the normal sequence of electrical impulses in the heart. This can cause the heart to pump less effectively. If arrhythmias last for some time, they may cause the heart rate to be too slow or too fast or the heart rhythm to be erratic.

“Stereotaxis offers us the ability to guide and place a catheter anywhere in the heart or surrounding vessels, including incredibly difficult or previously inaccessible locations,” noted William Katsiyiannis, M.D., a cardiologist with the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital (Minneapolis, MN, USA). “This technology has the potential to change how we treat patients who require interventional cardiac procedures.” The Minneapolis Heart Institute is recognized internationally as one of the world’s leading heart institutes.

The Stereotaxis laboratory is located in Abbott Northwestern Hospital. The Stereotaxis system was developed by Stereotaxis, Inc. (St. Louis, MO, USA).