Medtronic, Inc. has announced achievement of another technological milestone to support interventional cardiologists as they maneuver instruments from outside the body through small incisions to treat blockages in blood vessels of the heart. The new Medtronic Launcher™ guide catheter, now available in the “6-French” size in most markets worldwide, is intended to complement Medtronic’s Z2 guide catheters, by combining–for the first time–a large “lumen” or inner channel and high-performance features, including balance, flexibility and support.
The lumen of the 6-French Launcher guide catheter is 0.071 of an inch in diameter, larger than competitive 6-French catheters and thus able to accommodate a greater flow of marker dyes and all Medtronic coronary stents and balloons. And unlike most comparably sized guide catheters, the 6-French Launcher guide catheter is uniquely engineered to give physicians both flexibility and support.
“One of the most challenging aspects of angioplasty technologies is to facilitate the physician’s ‘feel’ and precise control as interventional devices are delivered through the body’s vasculature to the lesion site,” said Bill Hawkins, president of Medtronic Vascular. “The 6-French Launcher device is the first in a new generation of guide catheters designed to provide this capability better than ever before, even in the most challenging cases.”
To accommodate the diversity in coronary anatomy and provide physicians with a broad range of options, the 6-French Launcher guide catheter includes a full line of standard and specialty curves.
|
