Hansen Medical, Inc., the global leader in flexible robotics and the developer of robotic technology for accurate 3-D control of catheter movement, announced that it has signed an agreement with a division of St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, to commercialize new products based on the companies' complementary technologies for treating patients suffering from heart rhythm disorders.

The agreement will integrate the EnSite Velocity Cardiac Mapping System from St. Jude Medical with the Sensei X CoHesion 3-D visualization module from Hansen Medical, to provide physicians the ability to visualize, locate and robotically control catheters within the heart to diagnose heart rhythm disorders. Hansen Medical and St. Jude Medical plan to market and sell the integrated electrophysiology (EP) solution in the United States and the European Union.

"We are delighted to be partnering with St. Jude Medical again on such an important integrated solution for the electrophysiologist that benefits both physicians and patients," said Bruce J Barclay, President and CEO of Hansen Medical.

The Sensei X system is Hansen Medical's next generation flexible robotic platform that uses robotic catheter technology to provide stable and predictable control of catheter movement during interventional procedures. The EnSite Velocity System from St. Jude Medical is an advanced cardiac mapping system that creates a 3-D model of a patient's heart so that physicians can visualize a patient's unique cardiac electric and anatomic details, quickly locate the source of an arrhythmia and formulate a treatment strategy. The Cohesion module sends data regarding the location of electrophysiology catheters from the EnSite Velocity System to the Sensei system. This capability allows the catheters to be displayed on the Sensei viewing screen and helps improve the user experience with Sensei X by making it more intuitive and easier to use. Integrating the sophisticated 3-D technologies from Hansen Medical and St. Jude Medical enhances the physician's ability to both visualize and position catheters in difficult-to-reach anatomical locations and maintain stability throughout interventional procedures.

Data from clinical studies show that use of the Sensei platform in procedures for AF and other abnormal heart rhythms reduced patients' exposure to harmful cancer-causing radiation by 63 percent, and reduced fluoroscopy time by 44 percent. Cardiac catheterization labs have long been considered high-radiation dose areas due to the extended use of fluoroscopy required for procedures. Fluoroscopy is a continuous X-ray, which provides information about bone anatomy, and not soft tissue or the electrical conduction system of the heart. Combining technology from Hansen Medical and St. Jude Medical helps make EP procedures more instinctive in a true three-dimensional navigation and mapping environment.

Hansen Medical, Heart Design, Hansen Medical & Heart Design, and Sensei are registered trademarks, and CoHesion is a trademark of Hansen Medical, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

EnSite Velocity, ST. JUDE MEDICAL, the nine-squares symbol and MORE CONTROL. LESS RISK. are registered and unregistered trademarks and service marks of St. Jude Medical, Inc. and its related companies. Copyright 2010 St. Jude Medical, Inc. All rights reserved.