Cardica improved anastomosis technology:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Cardica has received US FDA 510(k) clearance to market a new version of its automated anastomosis technology that it claims will give surgeons improved manoeuvrability when attaching blood vessels and grafts during coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedures. The device, called C-Port Flex A, is also expected to bring "the possibility of performing truly minimally invasive cardiac surgery" several steps closer, said the Redwood City, California firm. It features several modifications to Cardica's previous C-Port xA product: It has a flexible, rather than rigid, shaft; is effective in creating compliant anastomoses in vessels as small as one millimetre in diameter; and can be used in either on- or off-pump CABG procedures. Importantly, the device can be positioned to create a secure connection in the most difficult to reach areas of the heart, the firm added.