Vessel-Sizing Catheters Get FDA Approval
Source: Merit Medical Systems, Inc.
The FDA has approved a new line of catheters that measure the inner dimensions of vessels. The catheters are manufactured by Merit Medical Systems Inc. (South Jordan, UT).
According to the company, the vessel-sizing catheters are used to determine the size of a stent to be placed or vena cava filter to be used in a patient. The catheters can also be used to measure and size stent grafts for abdominal aortic aneurism (AAA) procedures.
"The timing of this introduction is perfect inasmuch as the demand for these new catheters has increased dramatically with the recent approval by the FDA of new endovascular devices such as stent grafts," said Fred P. Lampropoulos, chairman and CEO of Merit.
The catheters have either 2, 11, or 20 platinum bands on them, depending upon the need and the area to be measured.
Source: Merit Medical Systems Inc.