The first hospital in the world to use the new Stereotaxis RF PowerAssert Magnetic Guidewire to successfully treat complete blockages or chronic total occlusions (CTOs) in patients with peripheral artery disease is the Heart Hospital of Austin. Frank Zidar, M.D Austin Heart interventional cardiologist, used the new device on Wednesday, January 7, 2009, on a patient with severe peripheral artery disease (PAD). The patient had 100% blockage in a main artery in his leg. According to a hospital spokesperson without proper treatment, the patient would continue to experience chronic, severe pain in his leg due to poor circulation. Dr. Frank Zidar said that this new magnetic guidewire technology allows for greater control and improved accuracy in the treatment of blocked arteries. He added that once the blockage is reached, the tip of the guidewire can burn or ablate a tiny passage through the blockage, allowing us then to use existing techniques to open up the blockage further and thus this revolutionary technology will likely reduce procedure times and therefore reduce the amount of contrast dye and imaging radiation to the patient. In August 2008 the Stereotaxis RF PowerAssert Magnetic Guidewire was approved by the FDA. It is a magnetically enabled device capable of intra-lesion steering available for crossing completely blocked arteries. Heart Hospital of Austin was chosen as one of only two clinical sites in the world to study the efficacy of the new Stereotaxis RF PowerAssert Magnetic Guidewire.