Angioplasty gains new balloon catheter
Voyager NC, a new coronary dilation catheter with a high-pressure capability designed to optimise coronary artery treatment during angioplasty procedure, can be used for both pre-dilatation and post-dilatation procedures, the manufacturer Abbott explains, adding: "Surgeons can use it to navigate tortuous anatomy and open up lesions before a stent is delivered, or expand a stent more precisely against the vessel wall after it is implanted."
The catheter comes in a several diameters (from 2-5 mm) and lengths (from 6-25 mm) on a rapid exchange delivery system. ‘When choosing a dilatation catheter, one of the key attributes interventional cardiologists look for is the ability to accurately deliver the balloon to the target lesion, particularly in challenging coronary anatomy,’ said Dean J Kereiakes MD, medical director of the Christ Hospital Heart and Vascular Centre in Cincinnati, Ohio. ‘Voyager NC delivers on its promise as a high performance balloon dilatation catheter with high-pressure capability, frequently making difficult cases easier, even when treating the most challenging lesions.’
Proprietary technological advances engineered into the new catheter include:
• A specialised tip with a smooth, rounded shape designed to deflect off stent struts and enhance balloon delivery through stents.
• Flexible tungsten markers designed to help surgeons navigate through arteries and properly position the balloon within a treatment area.
• Bi-layer balloon material designed to make the balloon thinner and more flexible, enabling controlled balloon growth.
Voyager NC is the latest among Abbott’s vascular products. Others in development include a bio-absorbable drug eluting stent, a peripheral drug eluting stent, and the firm’s next-generation drug eluting stent, the Xience Prime Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System.
01.05.2009
