Acuson AcuNav 8F

This new smaller intracardiac ultrasound catheter from Siemens is thought to provide added flexibility for performing procedures in smaller patients:

The new catheter, sized at eight French, is 33 percent smaller in the cross sectional area than the existing AcuNav 10F catheter and enables improved access in all patients, particularly smaller patients for left heart applications in electrophysiology and interventional cardiology. The new catheter was recently introduced to the European market.
According to clinical evaluators of the AcuNav 8F catheter, the smaller size coupled with the same high resolution and depth of imaging as the existing AcuNav 10F catheter is a significant improvement and allows access to a wider range of patients. “The size and flexibility of the new catheter were very impressive and provided us with improved visualization of defects with less trauma to the patients,” said Ziyad M. Hijazi, M.D., MPH, section chief of pediatric cardiology and professor of pediatrics and medicine, University of Chicago, USA. “During evaluation, I performed two atrial septal defect (ASD) closure procedures and one patent foramen ovale (PFO) procedure on a total of three patients, two being quite small, and the third weighing just over 118 kilogram. With the 8F, I was able to get spectacular images of clinical significance with no problem at all.”
Dr. Hijazi and other clinical evaluators say the new catheter will change the way ASD closure procedures are performed in smaller patients. “There will be no need to use transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in small patients, and the operator will be able to perform the echocardiographic evaluation and the closure simultaneously, therefore the resources in the department will be used more efficiently,” said Dr. Hijazi…
The AcuNav 8F catheter is currently available on the Sequoia ultrasound platforms, the Acuson CV70 cardiovascular system and the Acuson Cypress cardiovascular system.

Product announcement…