Catheter News and Research

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In medicine, a catheter is a tube that can be inserted into a body cavity, duct, or vessel. Catheters . In most uses, a catheter is a thin, flexible tube ("soft" catheter), though in some uses, it is a larger, solid ("hard") catheter. A catheter left inside the body, either temporarily or permanently, may be referred to as an indwelling catheter. A permanently inserted catheter may be referred to as a permcath.

Researchers develop catheter that can perform triple-duty during cardiac ablation surgery

Researchers at the McCormick School of Engineering are part of a team that has used stretchable electronics to create a multipurpose medical catheter that can both monitor heart functions and perform corrections on heart tissue during surgery.

16 Nov 2012

Cook receives FDA approval for Zilver PTX Drug-Eluting Peripheral Stent to treat PAD

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the Zilver PTX Drug-Eluting Peripheral Stent (Zilver PTX Stent), the first drug-eluting stent indicated to re-open a particular artery in the thigh (femoropopliteal artery) when narrowed or blocked as a result of peripheral artery disease (PAD).

15 Nov 2012

Scientists discover how external signals regulate vascular remodelling at cell level

Blood vessels are extremely dynamic: depending on the external conditions, they can adapt their permeability for nutrients, their contractility, and even their shape. Unlike cardiac muscle cells, for example, the smooth muscle cells in blood vessels demonstrate a high degree of plasticity, so they can specialise or multiply as required, even repairing damage to the vessel wall.

13 Nov 2012

Avinger receives FDA clearance for Ocelot System

Avinger, Inc., a medical device manufacturer of innovative, multi-functional catheters for crossing chronic total occlusions (CTOs) in patients with Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), announces its Ocelot System has been cleared for sale in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

9 Nov 2012

Cardiac arrhythmias: an interview with Dr Andrew Grace

Cardiac arrhythmias are disturbances of the heartbeat. The heart can either go too slowly, which might make people collapse or exhausted; or too quickly.

8 Nov 2012

Positive results from BioCardia's Helical Infusion System Phase 1/2 trial on ischemic cardiomyopathy

BioCardia, Inc., focused on regenerative biologic therapies for cardiovascular disease, today announced positive results from a Phase 1/2 heart failure trial using the Company's Helical Infusion System, comprising the Helical Infusion System Catheter and Morph Vascular Access Catheter, to deliver allogeneic, or "off-the-shelf," and autologous, or from the treated patient, mesenchymal (adult) stem cells (MSCs) via transendocardial injection.

7 Nov 2012

Workout in the catheter lab gives clues to ‘warm-up angina’

Improved coupling of vascular and ventricular circulation during exercise appears to underlie the phenomenon known as warm-up angina, a UK study shows.

6 Nov 2012

Endo, Bioniche decide to end second Urocidin Phase III trial on non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer

Bioniche Life Sciences Inc., a research-based, technology-driven Canadian biopharmaceutical company, today announced that a second Phase III clinical trial with Urocidin in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer is being discontinued.

5 Nov 2012

AeriSeal System appears to be effective in treating emphysema

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham injected a foam sealant into the lungs of a former smoker on Oct. 29, 2012, to treat his worsening emphysema. He was the first patient in the United States treated in a late-stage clinical trial of the AeriSeal System.

3 Nov 2012

Near-complete blood flow restoration necessary to preserve neurological function following stroke

Two Rhode Island Hospital researchers recently found that restoring near-complete blood flow to the brain is necessary to restore or preserve neurological function following stroke. Seems like a no-brainer, right? Yet until their research was complete, many physicians and researchers believed that partial blood-flow restoration was good enough. Not anymore.

3 Nov 2012

Ischemic stroke: an interview with Dr Gregory Ford

A stroke is a sudden interruption of blood flow to the brain which deprives the brain of oxygen and nutrients. Approximately two millions brain cells die each minute during a stroke. This can lead to brain damage, physical and mental disability and death.

1 Nov 2012

Procalcitonin good marker of bacteremia in children with central lines

High procalcitonin levels are a good indicator of bacteremia in children with a central venous catheter who present to the emergency department with fever, suggest study findings.

30 Oct 2012

Intravenous catheter replacement: an interview with Claire Rickard

Peripheral intravenous catheters (“IV drips”) are small plastic tubes inserted into veins, most frequently in the hand or arm.

30 Oct 2012

FDA clears MAQUET’s new SENSATION PLUS 7.5Fr. 40cc intra-aortic balloon catheter

MAQUET Cardiovascular LLC, a leading provider of cardiovascular technologies, today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CE mark approval for its new SENSATION PLUS 7.5Fr. 40cc intra-aortic balloon (IAB) catheter.

29 Oct 2012

Drug-eluting stents exhibit some benefits in patients over 80

Rarely tested in patients over the age of 80, a study found that drug-eluting stents exhibited some benefits over bare-metal stents, though both types of stents demonstrated a clinical benefit. Results of the XIMA trial were presented today at the 24th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium.

29 Oct 2012

Cardiac arrhythmias: latest developments in diagnosis and treatment

A new Lancet Series explores the latest developments in the diagnosis, treatment and biology of cardiac arrhythmias, ahead of the American Heart Association’s annual meeting taking place this year on Nov 3–7 in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

26 Oct 2012

NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia participates in Symplicity system trial for hypertension

Patients with hypertension whose blood pressure cannot be brought down to safe levels despite taking three or more medications may have some relief coming their way. An innovative, first-of-its-kind clinical trial for a device representing a dramatic shift in treatment approaches for the toughest-to-treat patients is currently being conducted at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

From Medtronic 26 Oct 2012

PFO closure with investigational device may prevent cryptogenic ischemic stroke

A clinical trial indicates that using an investigational medical device to close a PFO, or "hole in the heart," may be superior to medical management alone in the prevention of a repeated stroke.

26 Oct 2012

Large hospitals not following CAUTI preventive guidelines in their ICUs

Hospital size matters when it comes to intensive care units (ICUs) adopting even the most routine prevention policies for catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), according to a new study from researchers at Columbia University School of Nursing, published this month in the American Journal of Infection Control.

24 Oct 2012

FDA expands approved indication for Sapien Transcatheter Heart Valve

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today expanded the approved indication for the Sapien Transcatheter Heart Valve (THV) to include patients with aortic valve stenosis who are eligible for surgery, but who are at high risk for serious surgical complications or death.

20 Oct 2012