Medtronic launches clot-removal tech in U.S.

Medtronic has launched its Export Advance catheter in the U.S.--Courtesy of Medtronic

Medtronic ($MDT) has secured the FDA's blessing for its next-generation aspiration catheter, launching the Export Advance in the U.S. to help remove blood clots from coronary arteries.

The device is inserted into arteries to clear out clots that interrupt blood flow, restoring oxygen to the heart in patients with cardiovascular disease. The Export Advance comes on the heels of Medtronic's Export AP, and the next-generation model ships with a preloaded stylet that provides more support during delivery and a novel construction that allows for variable levels of stiffness along the length of the device, making it easier to navigate inside the vessel, the company said.

The catheter picked up a CE mark in May, and Medtronic is working through a global 6,000-patient study comparing Export Advance coupled with percutaneous coronary intervention against PCI alone.

Medtronic's work comes on the heels of a Journal of the American College of Cardiology study that found pre-PCI thrombectomy significantly reduced major adverse cardiac events in heart attack patients, data the company said affirms the value of aspiration catheters. And Medtronic's latest offering will help cement its market leadership in clot-busting technology, Coronary General Manager Jason Weidman said.

"In addition to superior deliverability, our next-generation device offers high-performing aspiration power that physicians have come to expect from Export aspiration catheters, which to date have been used to treat more than 1 million patients worldwide," Weidman said in a statement.

Last quarter, Medtronic's coronary business grew 3% to $435 million, driven by strong sales of drug-eluting stents.

- read the announcement