Advanced Medical Devices Boost Treatment Success Rate

Publication Date: 3 January, 2022

Source: Headline Daily

Coronary artery disease is widely treated by percutaneous coronary intervention, a non-surgical, minimally invasive procedure to open narrowed arteries of the heart which can lead to heart attack. As I mentioned in my earlier article, the use of balloons to open blocked arteries and the implantation of stents that slowly release medication to keep the arteries open are the essential medical instruments for the procedure.

Coronary balloons are made from a combination of nylon and pebax materials that require state-of-the-art engineering and manufacturing technologies in order to perform the required functions under a very complex environment inside the artery, especially because arteries are not straight but in different curves which can suddenly bend into a difficult angle. A balloon must be able to negotiate a tortuous pathway and advances through the obstructed artery and eventually opens the narrowing with specific inflation protocol. About 15% of the procedures encounter what is known as chronic total occlusion that involves a challenging anatomy. This is due to the fact that part or even the entire artery is completely blocked for a long period of time by atherosclerotic plague and most of time with calcium deposit. The texture is like a dental plague which requires specialty balloon to cope effectively.

Minimally invasive interventions can fail when the balloon catheter is not able to pass through the blockage. Patients will then have to wait for the next attempt and re-admission to the hospital. This could be very frustrating psychologically. Our balloons are highly recognised for their excellent success rate in crossing complex blockages, especially in difficult chronic total occlusion cases, and are widely used in the treatment of coronary and peripheral vascular diseases.

Leveraging our first mover advantage in chronic total occlusion balloons, we have achieved leadership position in the balloon markets in terms of sales volume in China, Japan, United States, Europe and various countries and regions worldwide. In recent years, with the advancement of medical devices, physicians who perform minimally invasive coronary intervention have taken up more complex cases than before. We strive to focus on innovation and our vision is to bring the most effective tools to the hands of the experts in restoring blocked arteries for better quality of life for our patients.