INDUSTRY NEWS
With more than 600,000 angioplasties performed in Europe alone in 2005, the procedure is one of the most common medical interventions performed worldwide. Clearstream Technologies (Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, Ireland), a manufacturer of stents, catheters, and other cardiac intervention products, has developed three devices to accommodate this vast market.
The Intrepide drug-eluting stent system uses the antiplatelet drug Trapidil to reduce the risk of restenosis. The safety of the device has been tested in more than 15 patients, which have been successfully implanted with 22 of the stents. The Intrepide has also undergone a 100-patient study in Australia and New Zealand, and the technical file for the product was submitted for CE approval. It is currently under review by notified bodies.
The company’s Nimbus Pico catheter has been upgraded to facilitate access to difficult lesions. Having recently completed a number of clinical evaluations, the company reports that the catheter offers performance and ease of use.
The manufacturer’s recently introduced ClearGuide M3 guidewire is CE marked and available in a range of stiffness options varying from standard support to extra flexible. The unit’s one-piece construction eliminates abrupt transitions and ensures torque is transmitted along the central axis. Hemispherical joint bonding of the hydrophilic coil to the core provides an atraumatic surface at the leading edge. The guidewire uses a 3-cm wound platinum-alloy coil at the distal tip to ensure radiopacity under fluoroscopy. In addition, the unit’s design is said to minimize twist and prolapse. It measures 0.04 cm diam and 195 cm in length.
For more information, contact Clearstream Technologies, Moyne Upper, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, Ireland; phone: +353 53 9237111; fax: +353 53 9237100; e-mail: info@clearstream.ie; Internet: www.clearstream.ie.
