High-pressure balloon catheter effective for treating severe calcification

(CONNECT) A large-scale study investigating the use of high-pressure balloon catheters in severely calcified coronary arteries has found them to be as effective as another procedure. SIS Medical, which is based in Frauenfeld in Switzerland, announced the news in a statement. SIS Medical develops and manufactures a catheter in this category known as the Super-High-Pressure PTCA Balloon Catheter (OPN NC). According to the statement, the results of the study have now been presented at the TCT conference for catheter-based cardiovascular therapies in San Diego.

The randomized, multi-center clinical trial focused on cases of severely calcified coronary arteries requiring the use of stents that release drugs and keep the blood vessels open, writes the statement. In the cases observed, this was reportedly performed as part of a minimally invasive procedure accompanied by modern imaging (OCT). Known as the VICTORY trial, it analyzed procedures at three centers in Switzerland and Canada involving a total of 282 patients. According to the statement, the results compare the use of a super-high-pressure PTCA balloon catheter (OPN NC) with intravascular lithotripsy (IVL). Both procedures are used to prepare vessels for stent insertion, it writes. While IVL uses sound waves, OPN uses a balloon.

“This study clearly shows that utilizing an OPN NC is non-inferior to IVL for OCT-guided lesion preparation and stent expansion in severely calcified lesions,” Matthias Bossard is quoted as saying. The medical doctor heads the CHIP & CTO-PCI Program at Luzerner Kantonsspital Heart Center. Bossard concludes that OPN NC can therefore be considered a feasible and faster alternative to IVL for similar security profiles. ce/yvh