MDT announces new, minuscle, coronary stent
biz.yahoo.com
Thursday May 11, 2:46 pm Eastern Time
Medtronic Announces U.S. Market Launch of the S660 With Discrete Technology(TM) Coronary Stent System
MINNEAPOLIS, May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Medtronic, Inc.
(NYSE: MDT <http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=mdt&d=t> - news </n/m/mdt.html>)
today announced that its latest generation small vessel stent, the S660 With Discrete Technology(TM) Coronary Stent System, has received marketing clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (Photo:
<http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000224/MDTLOGO> )
The S660 is the newest member of the Medtronic AVE family of coronary stent systems. It is a stent specifically developed for small vessel stenting (vessels that are 2.2-2.9 millimeters in diameter). Uniquely developed to treat small vessels, the S660 system is designed to provide physicians with the flexibility and deliverability needed to effectively navigate through tortuous anatomy and accurately place the stent. Available in both over-the-wire and rapid exchange versions, the S660 is the lowest profile stent available on the market. The rapid exchange delivery catheter is designed for use by a single operator and will allow for perfusion of blood through the guidewire lumen during the stent deployment procedure.
``Building upon our commitment to design and develop stents that are specifically tailored for a wide variety of clinical indications, we are pleased to introduce the S660 today,'' said Andy Rasdal, president of Medtronic Vascular. ``Taken in tandem with our leading stent, the S670, we now stand ready to deliver another 'best-in-class,' highly deliverable stent to our customers and their patients.''
The S660 builds upon the key strengths of its predecessor, the S540, while providing improved flexibility and scaffolding efficiency. Its new six-crown architecture is designed to offer more scaffolding support in holding the vessel open, a critical factor for successfully treating smaller vessels.
The S660 also incorporates many of the same market-leading technological features as the S670, enabling the stent to deliver like a balloon. These features include:
Discrete Technology(TM) provides for precise alignment of the stent on the balloon, thereby minimizing the balloon overhang extending beyond the ends of the stent. This, in turn, focuses the deployment force along the stent's length, potentially reducing the likelihood of vessel damage beyond the ends of the stent.
Secure Technology(TM) is a patented system designed to ensure that the stent remains securely attached to the balloon during delivery, positioning and deployment. Proximal and distal balloon pillows, as well as pillows around and between the stent's struts, are created by a combination of heat and pressure and provide added security for tracking through tortuous anatomy. Additional security is incorporated into this system by the use of an enlarged proximal pillow.
AVEd(TM) Balloon Technology uses a material that has excellent refolding, uniform expansion and a rated burst pressure of 16 atmospheres. The features of this balloon technology enable the clinician to easily use the same delivery system for stent deployment and post-stent dilatation within the stent.
The S660 with Discrete Technology is 2.5 mm in diameter and is available in lengths of 9, 12, 15, 18 and 24 mm.
The S660, which is indicated for abrupt or threatened closure of vessels, is the latest in a succession of Medtronic AVE stent systems for use after coronary arteries have been opened with balloon catheters in a therapy known as percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). More than 800,000 such procedures take place in the United States each year, and physicians use stents in about 70 percent of these cases. Of that figure, about 20 percent of these cases involve the treatment of small vessels (less than 3.0 mm). The annual worldwide market for stents is estimated at greater than $2 billion.
The S660 joins Medtronic AVE's S670 and the D1 balloon catheter as components of a complete therapeutic system for treating cardiovascular disease. Other products include guiding catheters (Zuma and Z2), steerable guidewires (GT1 and Hyperflex), balloon dilatation catheters and accessories for angioplasty procedures.
Medtronic, Inc., headquartered in Minneapolis, is the world's leading medical technology company, providing lifelong solutions for people with chronic disease. Its Internet address is <http://www.medtronic.com> . Medtronic AVE, formerly Arterial Vascular Engineering, Inc., is headquartered in Santa Rosa, Calif.
Any statements made about the company's anticipated financial results and regulatory approvals are forward-looking statements subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended April 30, 1999. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results. |
