Getting a clearer, more detailed image of a patient’s heart is a concern many doctors have when deciding on treatment for patients with heart problems, such as abnormal heart rates or problems with blood flow. Launched in January, the EnSite Fusion System software from St. Jude Medical, Inc., in Little Canada, is used in conjunction with electrophysiology procedures to determine the condition of a patient’s heart. Catheters with electrodes on the ends are inserted into a patient’s femoral arteries near the groin and then moved into the cardiac chamber. The electrodes send information back to the EnSite software about the heart’s electrical information.

That image can be combined with a three-dimensional computed tomography (CAT scan) image to create a single model of the heart chamber, giving doctors a better image with which to understand the patient’s needs and determine treatment options. The two images are combined using anchor points on the separate images. Kathleen Janasz, senior director of communications and public relations at St. Jude, says this approach will help doctors who know a patient has an arrhythmia but may not be sure exactly where the problem is. The procedure takes about 10 minutes and involves less anesthetic and less radiation than alternate procedures. Doctors at Abbott Northwestern and other area hospitals use the EnSite system.