VNUS Medical predicts 2007 launch for faster vein closer catheter:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
VNUS Medical Technologies could be set to commercialise next year a faster version of its radiofrequency (RF) ablation catheter for closing diseased veins. So said the San Jose, California firm, after its first human trial of the new device, ClosureFAST, produced positive results. Over 30 patients were treated with the catheter under local anaesthetic at three European centres and all the treatments were successful at occluding the great saphenous vein, both acutely and at a three day post-procedure, the company reported. In addition, the catheter heated, shrunk and occluded the refluxing saphenous veins with RF ablation times of just three to five minutes, indicating that it could significantly speed up procedures, while providing patients the RF treatment benefit of rapid recovery with minimal or no discomfort.