Onset Medical Performs First Human Use Of The SoloPath™ Endovascular Access Catheter To Deliver Percutaneous Aortic Heart Valve

Medical News Today
29th October 2009




Onset Medical Corporation announced the first human usage of its SoloPathTM Endovascular Access Catheter in a case performed by Eberhard Grube MD, Chief, Department of Cardiology/Angiology, Helios Heart Center, Siegburg in Germany.

The primary clinical applications for the SoloPath family of Endovascular Access Catheters are to provide quicker and safer access of larger therapeutic devices through the femoral and iliac arteries of the leg into the larger aortic artery. For example, it is estimated as many as twenty percent (20%) of patients who require replacement aortic heart valves have severe atherosclerotic disease in their leg arteries which may prevent access. This limits the use of newer percutaneous aortic valves being marketed in Europe by Edwards Lifesciences and Medtronic. In these patients, the valve has to be delivered either through a minimally invasive incision near the heart or via a totally open heart surgical procedure. Onset's SoloPath is designed to provide access to these diseased arteries at a relatively small catheter size and then be expanded to accommodate the large diameter of percutaneous valve delivery devices. Therefore, the SoloPath may help broaden the number of patients who can be effectively treated with percutaneously implanted aortic heart valves.

Commenting on this first clinical usage, Dr. Grube said, "I was pleased with Onset Medical's SoloPath Endovascular Catheter. It provided easy, safe and reliable access through the femoral and iliac artery of an 85 year old patient while enabling unrestricted delivery of a percutaneous valve system."