Jan 4, 2023 Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Celebrates Performing 2,000 Robotic Cardiac Ablation Procedures

New Brunswick Cardiac Ablation

(New Brunswick, NJ) – Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), an RWJBarnabas Health facility, recently celebrated successfully treating more than 2,000 patients affected by irregular heartbeats with advanced, specialized robotic cardiac ablation technology.

RWJUH, a premier academic medical center and innovative leader in advancing state-of-the-art care, is among 100 hospitals worldwide offering Stereotaxis Robotic Magnetic Navigation (RMN) technology for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. Cardiologists who specialize in the electrical circuitry of the heart, called electrophysiologists, use the technology to repair misbehaving electrical circuits in the heart, called arrhythmias, with robotically assisted cardiac ablation.

New Brunswick Cardiac Ablation

RWJUH’s electrophysiology team became a leader in robotic ablation after performing their first procedure with Stereotaxis technology in 2010. Since then, they have treated a broad range of patients with robotics, many of whom would otherwise be unsuitable for traditional treatment methods. One of the leading experts on RWJUH’s electrophysiology team is Dr. Subashini Gowda, a board-certified attending cardiologist at RWJUH who has treated nearly 1,000 patients using robotics.

“Robotic magnetic navigation is state-of-the-art technology that allows me to provide very safe and very effective treatment with less radiation exposure to patients,” said Dr. Gowda.

“As a national and regional leader in cardiac care, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital has assembled an expert team of cardiac specialists who are highly skilled and experienced in the most advanced technology and techniques to effectively treat cardiac arrhythmias,” said Bill Arnold, President and Chief Executive Officer at RWJUH. “We are proud to recognize the achievements of the electrophysiology team for their contributions to provide the exceptional care for patients.”

“The use of robotic magnetic navigation is emblematic of how technology can complement the delivery of top-quality patient care,” added Theodore Maglione, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Interim Director of RWJUH’s Electrophysiology Laboratory and Associate Program Director of the Cardiovascular Fellowship, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “RWJUH and Rutgers RWJMS are proud to be at the forefront of such innovation.”

Stereotaxis RMN technology introduces the benefits of robotic precision and safety to cardiac ablation, a common minimally invasive procedure to treat arrhythmias. Tens of millions of individuals worldwide suffer from arrhythmias - abnormal heart rhythms that result when the heart beats too quickly, too slowly, or with an irregular pattern. When left untreated, arrhythmias may significantly increase the risk of stroke, heart failure, and sudden cardiac arrest.

About the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at RWJUH

RWJUH’s Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory (RWJUH Cath Lab) provides minimally invasive and comprehensive Cardiac Catheterization and Electrophysiology procedures and interventions to diagnose and treat cardiac arrhythmias. The RWJUH Cath Lab utilizes state-of-the-art cardiac equipment that includes the Stereotaxis robotic system. It provides services 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week, which enables the team to effectively diagnose and treat patients presenting with complex heart conditions and emergencies. In 2022, the RWJUH Cath Lab completed over 7,000 procedures, including 2,781 electrophysiology procedures.

The hospital has eight laboratories, three of which are dedicated to electrophysiology. Within these labs, physicians perform a full range of diagnostic catheterization and coronary interventional procedures such as coronary arteriography, stenting and angioplasty. In the electrophysiology labs, rhythm disorders are treated in a variety of ways, including the implantation of pacemaker devices. Procedures are performed through the use of small catheters which are positioned within the heart to measure its appropriate electrical activity, vulnerability and rapid or slow heartbeats. Additionally, the Stereotaxis robotic magnetic navigation system can be utilized for ablation procedures to increase safety, accuracy and control when treating complex cardiac arrhythmias.

Other procedures performed in the cardiac catheterization laboratories include structural heart interventions such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement and endovascular procedures to treat peripheral artery disease. The RWJUH Cath Lab has grown to become one of the most active labs in the country and is considered to be the largest in the state of New Jersey.

About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), a 614-bed RWJBarnabas Health Facility, is New Jersey’s largest academic medical center through its deep partnership with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. RWJUH is the flagship Cancer Hospital of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Its other Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, stroke care, neuroscience, orthopedics, bariatric surgery and women’s and children’s care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). A Level 1 Trauma Center and the first designated Pediatric Trauma Center in the state, RWJUH’s New Brunswick campus serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.

Contact: Peter Haigney
RWJUH Public Relations
(732) 937-8568