Mar 23, 2000
Guidant Launches its CrossSail Coronary Dilatation Catheter Outside the U.S.

Indianapolis, IN and Santa Clara, CA - Guidant Corporation (NYSE and PCX: GDT) a world leader in the treatment of coronary artery disease, today announced the launch of a new coronary dilatation catheter that offers the smallest profile of any rapid exchange (RX) dilatation catheter currently available. The CrossSail(tm) Coronary Dilatation Catheter, which incorporates significant technology advancements for angioplasty procedures, is now available in Europe and other markets outside the United States. The RX platform is the platform preferred by physicians outside of the United States.

The unique technologies incorporated into the CrossSail provide the physician with new levels of performance and ease of use for both traditional angioplasty procedures and pre-dilatation for stenting. These technical advances include:

  • The tapered tip is designed for easier access into tight regions of the coronary anatomy.

 

  • New folding technology provides the CrossSail with unmatched RX catheter crossing profiles for superb lesion access.

 

  • Softer and more flexible balloon material allows the CrossSail greater flexibility for enhanced tracking and conformability in a larger scope of vessel shapes and sizes.

 

  • Sturdy, support-wire design incorporated into the catheter shaft to increase push, enables the wire to counter resistance inside the vessel.

 

  • The catheter balloon features Guidant''s proprietary coating that reduces friction to allow easy passage through diseased areas inside the blood vessels of the heart.

 

"Guidant''s CrossSail is designed utilizing some of the most advanced technologies available," said John M. Capek, Ph.D., president of Guidant''s Vascular Intervention Group. "As a result, we are now able to offer interventional cardiologists a tool that will facilitate the treatment of a greater number of patients suffering from coronary artery disease."

The CrossSail is the successor to Guidant''s highly successful ACS RX GEMINI(tm) Coronary Dilatation Catheter. This new catheter is indicated for use in native coronary vessels and saphenous vein grafts, which are harvested from the leg and used to bypass blocked arteries during coronary bypass surgery. It is available in 38 sizes, including two that Guidant is introducing for the treatment of larger diameter vessels (4.5 and 5.0 mm). The CrossSail offers the broadest size range currently available by any manufacturer of coronary dilatation catheters.

The CrossSail has received CE Mark approval and is now available in Europe and all other countries where the CE Mark is applicable. Guidant anticipates FDA approval of the CrossSail later this year, making it available to patients in the United States.

Coronary dilatation catheters are used to open blocked coronary vessels during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), which is a significant alternative to coronary bypass surgery in specific patient types. In 1999, more than 1.5 million people worldwide required an interventional procedure, such as PTCA. Approximately one-quarter of those patients were treated with a Guidant dilatation catheter.

A global leader in the medical device industry, Guidant provides innovative, minimally invasive and cost-effective products and services for the treatment of cardiovascular and vascular disease. For more information about Guidant''s products and services, visit the company''s Web site at http://www.guidant.com.

Top