Datascope is releasing a brand new intra-arterial baloon that is both smaller and stronger:
The Linear 7.5 is a 40cc IAB with the smallest diameter of any IAB available in the U.S. market. This reduced size enables clinicians to deliver counterpulsation therapy to a broader range of patients, including those with smaller peripheral vasculature. Support of this patient population — smaller adults, diabetics, and individuals with peripheral vascular disease — has traditionally been challenging for physicians.
Another feature of the Linear 7.5 is its new Durathane balloon membrane. This thinner, yet stronger, membrane is the most abrasion resistant of any IAB, and is designed to give the physician greater confidence in providing longer periods of balloon pumping therapy. In addition, the Linear 7.5 has a substantially lower insertion force than any competitive IAB, facilitating balloon delivery and allowing for faster initiation of therapy.
Balloon pump therapy, or counterpulsation, is widely used to provide temporary assistance to the heart in a variety of critical care settings, including cardiogenic shock, high-risk coronary angioplasty / stenting procedures, and coronary bypass surgery. Counterpulsation refers to inflation and deflation of an intra-aortic balloon synchronized with the heartbeat in a manner that provides a two-fold assist to the beating heart: increasing its oxygen supply while decreasing its oxygen demand, an intervention that often restores the supply and demand balance necessary for the patient’s recovery.
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