MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 23, 2025--
Imricor Medical Systems, Inc. ( Company or Imricor ) ( ASX: IMR ) is pleased to announce that it has commenced the VISABL-VT clinical trial by completing the first-in-human ventricular ablation guided by real-time MRI with the Company’s NorthStar Mapping System. The procedure was performed by the team at the Amsterdam University Medical Centre ( AUMC ), ranked in 2025 by Newsweek as the best hospital in The Netherlands, and in the top 35 worldwide.
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The procedure marked several world firsts. It was the first ventricular ablation to be guided by real-time MRI, and it was the first left-sided ablation to be performed under real-time MRI guidance. The patient was treated for right-sided and left-sided premature ventricular complexes (PVCs).
"During ablation, MRI-images provide a better view of the anatomy of the heart and the instruments used for treatment, but also of the changes made to the treated cardiac tissue. Unlike X-ray images, the entire area surrounding the heart can be seen, including the blood vessels and valves. And the MRI offers the opportunity during the procedure to visualize the effects of the treatment on the myocardial tissue," says Marco Götte, imaging cardiologist at Amsterdam UMC, initiator and project leader of the cardiac intervention MRI research program.
Amsterdam UMC has a long history with the development of MRI-guided cardiac interventions, with numerous firsts and this is yet another an important milestone. "The patient is doing well; the procedure went according to plan and the arrhythmia has been eliminated. We are therefore extremely proud that with our years of preparation, we have now reached the point where we are the first in the world to be able to treat complex forms of cardiac arrhythmias in an MRI scanner," says Cor Allaart, Professor of Electrophysiology and cardiologist at Amsterdam UMC.
Imricor’s Chair and CEO, Steve Wedan, commented, “We formed Imricor in 2006 with the goal of delivering MRI-compatible catheters and systems that would enable real-time MRI guidance of complex ventricular and atrial ablation procedures, where the power of MRI has the potential to deliver better, faster, safer, and less expensive treatment for patients suffering from irregular heartbeats. This achievement is a huge milestone for both Imricor and Amsterdam UMC.”
Imricor VISABL-VT Clinical Trial Enrollment
MILWAUKEE (AP) — A Wisconsin judge pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges accusing her of helping a man in the country illegally evade U.S. immigration authorities who were looking to arrest him in her courthouse.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan entered the plea during a brief arraignment in federal court. Magistrate Judge Stephen Dries set a July trial date. Dugan’s lead attorney, Steven Biskupic, told the judge that he anticipates the trial will last a week.
Dugan, her lawyers and prosecutors left after the hearing without speaking to reporters.
She is charged with concealing an individual to prevent arrest and obstruction. Prosecutors say she escorted Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer out of her courtroom through a back door on April 18 after learning that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were in the courthouse seeking to arrest him for being in the country illegally. She could face up to six years in prison if convicted on both counts.
Her attorneys say she’s innocent. They filed a motion Wednesday to dismiss the case, saying she was acting in her official capacity as a judge and therefore is immune to prosecution. They also maintain the federal government violated Wisconsin’s state sovereignty by disrupting a state courtroom and prosecuting a state judge.
Dugan's arrest has escalated a clash between Trump administration and Democrats over the president’s sweeping immigration crackdown.
Dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse ahead of Thursday's hearing, with some holding signs that read, “Only Fascists Arrest Judges -- Drop the Charges,” “Department of Justice Over-Reach” and “Keep Your Hands Off Our Judges!!” The crowd chanted “Due process rights,” “Hands off our freedom,” and “Si se puede” — Spanish for “Yes, we can” — which is a rallying cry for immigrant rights advocates.
One man stood alone across the street holding a Trump flag.
According to court documents, Flores-Ruiz illegally reentered the U.S. after being deported in 2013. Online court records show he was charged with three counts of misdemeanor domestic abuse in Milwaukee County in March, and he was in Dugan’s courtroom on April 18 for a hearing in that case.
According to an FBI affidavit, Dugan was alerted to the agents’ presence by her clerk, who was informed by an attorney that the agents appeared to be in the hallway. Dugan was visibly angry and called the situation “absurd” before leaving the bench and retreating to her chambers, the affidavit contends. She and another judge later approached members of the arrest team in the courthouse with what witnesses described as a “confrontational, angry demeanor.”
After a back-and-forth with the agents over the warrant for Flores-Ruiz, Dugan demanded they speak with the chief judge and led them from the courtroom, according to the affidavit.
After she returned to the courtroom, witnesses heard her say something to the effect of “wait, come with me” before ushering Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out through a door typically used only by deputies, jurors, court staff and in-custody defendants, the affidavit alleges. Flores-Ruiz was free on a signature bond in the abuse case, according to online state court records. Federal agents ultimately detained him outside the courthouse after a foot chase.
The state Supreme Court suspended Dugan last week, saying the move was necessary to preserve public confidence in the judiciary. She was freed after her arrest.
John Vaudreuil, a former federal prosecutor in Wisconsin who isn’t involved in Dugan’s or Flores-Ruiz’s cases, said the Trump administration seems to want to make an example out of Dugan. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi or Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, rather than the U.S. attorney in Milwaukee, are likely making the decisions on how to proceed, making it less likely prosecutors will reduce the charges against Dugan in a deal, he said.
Her attorneys will likely try to push the case to a jury trial, Vaudreuil said, because they know that “people feel very strongly about the way the president and administration is conducting immigration policy.”
Dugan is represented by some of Wisconsin's most accomplished lawyers. Biskupic was a federal prosecutor for 20 years and served seven years as U.S. attorney in Milwaukee. Paul Clement, meanwhile, is a former U.S. solicitor general who has argued more than 100 cases in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. Both were appointed to jobs by former Republican President George W. Bush.
Associated Press writer Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, contributed to this report.
Supporters of Judge Hannah Dugan protest outside the United States Federal Building and Courthouse in Milwaukee, Wis. on Thursday, April 15, 2025 ahead of Dugan's arraignment on charges that she helped a man in the country illegally evade arrest by immigration authorities. (AP Photo/Todd Richmond)
Supporters of Judge Hannah Dugan protest outside the United States Federal Building and Courthouse in Milwaukee, Wis. on Thursday, April 15, 2025 ahead of Dugan's arraignment on charges that she helped a man in the country illegally evade arrest by immigration authorities. (AP Photo/Todd Richmond)
Supporters of Judge Hannah Dugan protest outside the United States Federal Building and Courthouse in Milwaukee, Wis. on Thursday, April 15, 2025 ahead of Dugan's arraignment on charges that she helped a man in the country illegally evade arrest by immigration authorities. (AP Photo/Todd Richmond)
FILE - Judge Hannah Dugan poses for a photo in Milwaukee in 2016. (Lee Matz/Milwaukee Independent via AP, File)
