For emerging device companies, the road to success in coronary surgery markets never did run smoothly, but progress in anastomosis devices has been particularly halting. Even three years ago, these devices—which automate the laborious process of hand-sewing a bypass graft to the aorta and coronary vessels—were still widely talked about at clinical meetings as the hottest new enabling technologies for minimally invasive cardiac surgery. These automatic connectors were hoped-for tools that would enable surgeons to work on beating hearts, to avoid the neurocognitive decline, stroke and other harmful consequences of cardiopulmonary bypass. Some industry experts and surgeons believe that an easy-to-use, reproducible, automated anastomotic device would boost adoption of off-pump bypass surgery, which has lagged far below initial expectations and will also be essential to the future of robotic surgery. But many companies that began this journey never made it.
Health Research International reports, in its recently-published US Opportunities in Surgical Coronary Revascularization, that the first widely used anastomotic device, the Symmetry connector from St. Jude Medical Inc., failed and...
Read the full article – start your free trial today!
Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on Medtech Insight for daily insights
- Start your 7-day free trial
- Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
- Access comprehensive global coverage
- Enjoy instant access – no credit card required
Already a subscriber?