Imricor to install MRI ablation Center in Haga Hospital in The Hague

Imricor Medical Systems has bagged a contract to install an MRI ablation center for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias at the Haga Hospital in The Hague, Netherlands.

The advanced MRI ablation center will feature a 1.5T MRI scanner along with Imricor’s Advantage-MR EP Recorder/Stimulator System.

Dr. Vincent van Driel – Director of Electrophysiology at the Haga Heart Center said: “At the Haga MRI ablation center, we will be focusing on treating patients with arrhythmias with a more focused individualized ablation treatment plan. Performing the ablation in the MRI will give us the ability to adjust to each individual patient and allow us to make and assess the ablation lesion.

“This project has been the most collaborative effort between 3 entities (hospital, physicians and industry) that I have ever been a part of. The willingness to work together is one key reason why this is becoming possible here at Haga Hospital.”

With the installation of the MRI ablation center, the Haga Hospital and Heart Center is expected to become the first heart centers in the world to clinically adopt MRI-guided cardiac ablations, thereby making it a world leader in interventional cardiac magnetic resonance (iCMR).

Steve Wedan – Imricor CEO said: “Establishing the MRI ablation center at Haga Hospital marks an important milestone for the field of iCMR and, of course, for Imricor.

“Haga is the first non-university hospital to make the move toward MRI guided ablations, and we feel that delivers a strong statement in support of this exciting field. We continue to be humbled by the extraordinary caliber of the medical leaders we get to work with, and we are so proud to be partnered with everyone at Haga Hospital.”

With the help of cardiac procedures guided by MRI, physicians can work on sophisticated soft tissue visualization that allows them to personalize treatment strategies for each patient’s unique cardiac structure and substrate as well as assess changes in tissue characteristics immediately post ablation.

Cardiac procedures guided by MRI have the capacity to improve patient outcomes and can improve safety, more cost-effective treatment in an environment that is free of radiation for both the patient and physician.