Imricor’s MRI-Compatible Ablation Catheters Cleared in Europe for Cardiac Arrhythmia Treatment

Imricor Medical Systems, based outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota, has won the European CE Mark for its Vision-MR Ablation Catheter and Vision-MR Dispersive Electrode. These devices allow for cardiac ablation procedures to be performed within MRI-equipped operating rooms, thereby utilizing the accuracy of intraoperative MRI to target sources of arrhythmias.

The Vision-MR ablation catheter is a 9 French-sized open irrigated catheter that looks and works like a traditional ablation catheter but it is used with the company’s Advantage-MR EP Recorder/Stimulator System. It can be seen in real-time under MRI and may provide physicians the ability to be more accurate and get through procedures quicker. There’s also no X-ray radiation involved, as with conventional cath labs.

Gold electrodes on the catheter help to transmit the energy more effectively into the heart and a fiber optic heat sensor helps to prevent unwanted damage to surrounding tissues.



The Vision-MR Dispersive Electrode is also used for ablation and it is made so as to keep the induced eddy currents from the MRI scanning very low.



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