Alsius Corporation Launches Thermogard XP Intravascular Temperature Management System
Irvine, CA - Alsius Corporation, the worldwide leader in intravascular temperature management therapies, recently launched the Thermogard XP Intravascular Temperature Management system designed to provide an enhanced level of therapeutic cooling power to clinicians serving critically ill and surgical patients that require central venous access.
Alsius' Intravascular Temperature Management (IVTM) systems provide cooling and warming therapy via a computer-controlled temperature regulation system that connects to Alsius' proprietary heat exchange catheters. The catheters are inserted into a major vein through a patient's neck or groin, and circulate cool or warm saline in a closed-loop through balloons that surround the catheters. This approach decreases or increases core temperature from the inside of the body out toward the exterior, allowing for significantly more rapid control of a patient's core body temperature, with greater efficiency and precision, compared to conventional external temperature management products such as cooling and warming blankets and ice packs.
The Thermogard XP represents the latest product introduction from Alsius and complements the CoolGard 3000 and Thermogard platforms by providing extra cooling power in situations where it is needed, including difficult-to-cool patients.
"We listened to the clinicians we work with and are pleased to offer the Thermogard XP as a solution for the most challenging temperature management scenarios," said Bill Worthen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Alsius. "Alsius continues to serve the evolving needs of its neurosurgery, cardiac surgery, critical care, and emergency medicine customers and their patients with ongoing innovations and investment in research and development to improve heat exchange performance."
The medical community continues to embrace the idea of body temperature as one of the four main vital signs and several major medical societies, including the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association, support temperature management as the standard-of-care treatment for certain critically ill or surgical patients.
Quattro Catheter Introduced
Alsius also announced the introduction of the new Quattro catheter, a four-balloon heat exchange catheter that provides increased surface area and power with triple lumen central venous access. The Quattro allows clinicians to realize greater warming power on all Alsius IVTM systems and provides additional cooling power with the Thermogard XP.
"Every patient presents a unique set of characteristics and challenges calling for catheters of different lengths and insertion sites, as well as varying degrees of heat exchange power," commented Suzanne Winter, Vice President, Worldwide Sales and Marketing. "The addition of Quattro to Alsius' broad family of heat exchange catheters gives clinicians even greater flexibility to tailor cooling and warming therapies to those patients who might require enhanced cooling or warming power."
Alsius IVTM
Alsius' IVTM consists of the CoolGard 3000, Thermogard and Thermogard XP systems and a family of single-use catheters, including the Icy, Fortius or Quattro catheters, which are indicated in the United States for use: in cardiac surgery patients to achieve and/or maintain normothermia during surgery and recovery/intensive care; and to induce, maintain and reverse mild hypothermia in neurosurgery patients in surgery and recovery/intensive care. When used in conjunction with the Cool Line catheter, the Alsius systems are indicated in the U.S. for use in fever reduction, as an adjunct to other antipyretic therapy, in patients with cerebral infarction and intracerebral hemorrhage who require access to the central venous circulation and who are intubated and sedated.
SOURCE: Alsius Corporation