MRI Interventions' ClearTrace System to be Featured in Presentation at the 2014 Western Atrial Fibrillation Symposium
Multiple Presentations at the Western AF Symposium Highlight the Growing Importance of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Treating Atrial Fibrillation Patients
IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 27, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MRI Interventions, Inc. (OTCQB:MRIC) announced today that its novel ClearTrace® system for MRI-guided, catheter-based cardiac procedures will be featured in a presentation at the 7th Annual Western Atrial Fibrillation (AF) Symposium on Feb. 28-March 1 in Park City, Utah. The Western AF Symposium assembles a distinguished faculty of physicians and researchers from five continents to discuss the disorder, its relationship to heart failure, standards for patient care and technical advancements in the field.
On Friday, Dr. Ravi Ranjan, cardiologist at the University of Utah, will give a talk entitled "The AF Ablation Lesion Detected Using MRI," highlighting the need for real-time assessment of lesions during minimally invasive catheter-based cardiac ablation and the techniques developed to enable intraprocedural visualization using MRI Interventions' ClearTrace system.
On Saturday, a related presentation will be given by Dr. Nassir Marrouche, Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Electrophysiology Lab at the University of Utah, and the Executive Director of the Comprehensive Arrhythmia Research & Management Center (CARMA), titled "MRI for AF: Lessons from DECAAF." The DECAAF study highlights two main factors that determine the success of a minimally invasive ablation procedure: the stage of atrial fibrosis before ablation therapy, and the amount of residual fibrosis after the treatment. The study ultimately concluded that atrial fibrosis appraised by delayed enhancement MRI was associated with the probability of recurrent arrhythmia, exhibiting the usefulness of using MRI to assess AF in patients.
Dr. Marrouche's presentation on the DECAAF study will demonstrate the importance of MRI in staging and assessing AF patients, and Dr. Ranjan's talk will highlight the benefits of an MRI-guided catheter-based cardiac procedure. Talks entitled "MRI Detected Fibrosis vs. Electrical Mapping" by Dr. Pierre Jais, Professor of Cardiology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Bordeaux, and "The AF Ventricle in MRI" by Dr. Chris McGann, Director of Imaging for the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Utah, will also emphasize the increasing role of MRI in treating atrial fibrillation.
The application of MRI's unique imaging capabilities is an emerging trend in assessing, staging and treating patients suffering from atrial fibrillation. MRI Interventions is pleased to have the opportunity to participate in this trend with the development of its ClearTrace system. The ClearTrace system will seek to harness the advanced soft-tissue imaging capabilities of MRI to provide real-time visualization of heart tissue, catheters and ablation lesions throughout all phases of a catheter-based procedure. The presentations and discussions at the Western AF Symposium will further advance the dialogue among researchers and clinicians looking to apply next generation imaging technologies to benefit atrial fibrillation patients.
About the Western Atrial Fibrillation (AF) Symposium
The Western AF Symposium assembles key global thought leaders for a collaborative discussion regarding the latest advancement in atrial fibrillation research and treatment. The Western AF Symposium features a distinguished faculty of physicians and researchers from five continents. Western AF Symposium speakers and panels discuss topics such as the mechanisms of atrial fibrillation, the relationship between atrial fibrillation and heart failure, individualized patient care, and technical advancements in the field of atrial fibrillation.
About the ClearTrace System
The ClearTrace® system is an integrated platform of software, reusable hardware and disposable devices that together work with MRI to enable real-time 3-D visualization of target cardiac anatomy and surgical instruments. The ClearTrace system is currently limited to investigational use only and is not available for sale. MRI Interventions has not made any filings seeking regulatory approval or clearance of its ClearTrace system.
About MRI Interventions, Inc.
Founded in 1998, MRI Interventions is creating innovative platforms for performing the next generation of minimally invasive surgical procedures in the brain and heart. Utilizing a hospital's existing MRI suite, the company's FDA-cleared and CE-marked ClearPoint® system is designed to enable a range of minimally invasive procedures in the brain. MRI Interventions has a co-development and co-distribution agreement with Brainlab, a leader in software-driven medical technology, relating to the ClearPoint system. In partnership with Siemens Healthcare, MRI Interventions is developing the ClearTrace® system to enable MRI-guided catheter ablations to treat cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation. Building on the imaging power of MRI, the company's interventional platforms strive to improve patient care while reducing procedure costs and times. MRI Interventions is also working with Boston Scientific Corporation to incorporate its MRI-safety technologies into Boston Scientific's implantable leads for cardiac and neurological applications. For more information, please visit www.mriinterventions.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain matters in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that, to different degrees, are uncertain and involve risk. Uncertainties and risks may cause MRI Interventions' actual results and the timing of events to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by MRI Interventions' forward-looking statements. Particular uncertainties and risks include, among others: demand and market acceptance of our products; our ability to successfully expand our sales and clinical support capabilities; availability of third party reimbursement; the sufficiency of our cash resources to maintain planned commercialization efforts and research and development programs; future actions of the FDA or any other regulatory body that could impact product development, manufacturing or sale; our ability to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights; our dependence on collaboration partners; the impact of competitive products and pricing; and the impact of the commercial and credit environment on us and our customers and suppliers. More detailed information on these and additional factors that could affect MRI Interventions' actual results are described in MRI Interventions' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, MRI Interventions' Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 13, 2013. Except as required by law, MRI Interventions undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release to reflect any change in MRI Interventions' expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based.
CONTACT: MRI Interventions, Inc.
David Carlson, CFO, 901-522-9300
Released February 27, 2014