Acuson ships AcuNav ultrasound catheter

Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago will receive the first commercial shipment of Acuson's AcuNav diagnostic ultrasound catheter, which was cleared for market by the FDA at the end of last year.

The intracardiac ultrasound technique works by inserting a catheter through the patient's femoral or jugular vein. Clinicians can then maneuver it into the right atrium or right ventricle of the heart. The catheter uses color Doppler to image blood flow.

Dr. Richard Trohman of Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's said the catheter will allow electrophysiologists to perform procedures they were previously unable to do, because the AcuNav images the heart from within. An Acuson Sequoia ultrasound system is also part of the purchase.