Today, it seems, we have cardiac surgery day at Medgadget. Cardica Inc., a Redwood City, CA company, has announced initiation of clinical trials in the US and Europe of its device for coronary bypass procedures. AS-Port® Proximal Anastomosis System is designed to let cardiac surgeons attach a coronary bypass graft to the aorta without a tedious stitching around the graft.
Company explains:
Our PAS-Port system is a fully automated device used to perform an end-to-side proximal anastomosis between a saphenous vein and the aorta. To complete a proximal anastomosis, the cardiac surgeon simply loads the bypass graft vessel into the PAS-Port system, places the end of the delivery device against the aorta and turns the knob on the opposite end of the delivery tool…
The device first creates an opening in the aorta and subsequently securely attaches the bypass graft to the aortic wall, using a medical grade stainless steel implant that is formed into its final shape by the delivery tool. The innovative design of the PAS-Port system allows the surgeon to load the bypass graft and rapidly complete the anastomosis, typically in approximately three minutes, with little or no injury to the bypass graft vessel or the aorta.
An important advantage of our PAS-Port system is that, in contrast to conventional hand-sewn proximal anastomoses, the vascular connections created can be performed without clamping the aorta, potentially avoiding the associated risks such as neurological complications. Surgeons use our PAS-Port system in conventional CABG procedures and in OPCAB. We will be working on adaptations to the PAS-Port system for use in endoscopic applications.
The product page and video…
AS-Port® Proximal Anastomosis System FDA SSED sheet… More…