First patients treated with new PTA balloon catheter

Published: 5-Apr-2013

Cook Medical’s New Advance Micro 14 Ultra Low-Profile PTA Balloon Catheter helps PAD patients

For the first time, European patients suffering from peripheral arterial disease (PAD) have been treated with a new ultra low-profile micro-balloon catheter that allows physicians to treat arterial lesions below the knee (BTK).

Cook Medical’s Advance Micro 14 PTA balloon catheter was introduced to European physicians earlier this year. One of the first to use it was Andrej Schmidt from the angiology and cardiology department at Park Hospital and Heart Center in Leipzig, Germany. He said: “My first experience is very positive. The ultra low profile of the balloon allows you to pass lesions from both the antegrade and retrograde approaches with the same device."

Patients have since been treated with the innovation at other centres in Germany, France, Sweden, Belgium, and the UK.

Rob Lyles, vice president of Cook’s peripheral intervention clinical division, said: “This was engineered for retrograde pedal approach procedures, but is versatile enough for standard antegrade vascular access procedures, as well.”

The catheter is a dedicated over-the-wire micro balloon with a low crossing profile. The balloon is small enough to fit through a 3 French introducer and can even be used through the Cook Medical 2.9 French pedal access sheath. The device has a tip entry profile as small as a 0.018 inch diameter wire and the Pliaform balloon texture and hydrophilic coating reduce friction during device insertion and retraction compared to uncoated devices. The device is available in 50, 90 and 150 cm shaft configurations to accommodate a variety of access points.

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