Innovative Ablation Catheters to Fuel Growth of Atrial Fibrillation Treatments in Europe

WALTHAM, Mass., April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Millennium Research Group (MRG), the global authority on medical technology market intelligence, specialty radiofrequency catheters will drive growth in the European catheter market and support the use of catheter ablation as a treatment for atrial fibrillation. According to MRG's new European Markets for Electrophysiology Mapping and Ablation Devices 2010 report, specialty radiofrequency ablation catheter use will grow at a compound annual rate of 26% over the next five years.

Ablations have traditionally been long and complicated procedures.  In conventional ablations, physicians must use a separate diagnostic catheter to map out the area of the heart requiring ablation when treating arrhythmias.  As of 2009, however, four specialty radiofrequency ablation catheters designed to simultaneously map and ablate became available in Europe.  C. R. Bard's HD Mesh Ablator and Medtronic Ablation Frontiers' Pulmonary Vein Ablation Catheter, Multi-Array Ablation Catheter, Multi-Array Septal Catheter, and Tip-Versatile Ablation Catheter are all considered specialty catheters.  These devices claim to simplify the ablation procedure by providing anatomically-designed solutions that enable less experienced electrophysiologists to perform complex procedures with greater confidence and efficacy than conventional options.  In Europe, the low number of trained electrophysiologists limited patient access to ablation procedures in the past; however, the release of these specialty catheters will increase the number of physicians capable of performing complex atrial fibrillation treatments, thus driving procedure volumes.

"Specialty ablation catheters will experience rapid adoption over the next five years due to their enhanced ease-of-use," says Julie McLaughlin, Analyst at MRG. "Because these catheters are sold at a premium, their adoption will support significant market growth.  Specialty catheters are approximately five times the price of conventional ablation catheters and three times that of irrigated-tip ablation catheters. Despite these high price points, adoption of specialty catheters will continue to increase as electrophysiologists recognize their value."

MRG's European Markets for Electrophysiology Mapping and Ablation Devices 2010 report provides critical insight into emerging trends that will fuel market growth in the ablation catheter market, including the growth of specialty radiofrequency ablation catheters. The report also discusses trends in conventional and advanced diagnostic catheters, as well as capital equipment used in the electrophysiology lab space.  The report provides a complete breakdown of unit sales, average selling prices, and revenues by device type, including five-year forecasts, up-to-date market shares, and in-depth qualitative insights.

About Millennium Research Group

Millennium Research Group (www.MRG.net), a Decision Resources, Inc. company (www.DecisionResourcesInc.com), is the global authority on medical technology market intelligence and the leading provider of strategic information to the healthcare sector. The company provides specialized industry expertise through multiclient market research, ongoing Marketrack™ projects, customer behavior tracking, facility-level procedure forecasting, and customized solutions.

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SOURCE Millennium Research Group