Remember the original “Star Trek” series and the ship's physician, Dr. McCoy? It seemed that every other episode, McCoy would wave his sensor-wand over a patient to fix an internal ailment. Then he’d offer a wry comment on the “barbarity of 20th century surgery,” in which surgeons actually cut people open with scalpels to perform an operation. After doing the reporting on today's “Bill of Health” story, I think we are yet another step closer to an era in which scalpels are just another of yesterday's surgical tools.

Stereotaxis is a St. Louis-based company that has developed an interesting medical technology to perform procedures on the heart. The Stereotaxis system consists of a pair of giant magnets mounted on either side of a surgery patient, a millimeters-thin wire catheter, a digital controller, and computers. The controller and computer allow a surgeon to use the powerful magnetic field to guide the catheter from an incision in the leg, all the way up into the heart. Once in the catheter reaches the heart, the surgeon can place its head with pinpoint accuracy.

Already, the FDA has approved use of the technology for a process called 'ablation,' which helps correct irregular heart beats in individuals. Some day, pending FDA approval, the Stereotaxis system could also be used to drill through clogged arteries. And, it can be used for “cardiac resynchronization therapy,” which could eventually replace the need for pacemakers.

In all, there's a lot that's very exciting about the Stereotaxis system. Surgeons can't put away their scalpels just yet, but it’s obvious technology like this will continue to transform surgical techniques, making them safer and less invasive.
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