Neovasc Coronary Sinus Reducer: A Novel Stent for Ischemic Heart Disease

Medical Ventures Corp., a firm out of Vancouver, BC, has announced (.pdf) an acquisition of two Israeli companies, B-Balloon Ltd. and Neovasc Medical Ltd. The device developed by Neovasc caught our attention, as it is a new potential alternate therapy for patients with refractory angina who are not candidates for conventional revascularization procedures. Called Coronary Sinus Reducer, the stent is designed to increase the coronary perfusion pressure by obstructing the outflow of coronary blood by partially blocking coronary sinus, unlike traditional stents that are designed to increase inflow by opening coronary arteries.
The obstruction of coronary sinus can reduce myocardial ischemia by redistribution of blood from nonischemic to ischemic territories. A preliminary research on fifteen patients, reported in J Am Coll Cardiol, seems to confirm it.
To learn more about the device, check out this presentation (.pdf) by Medical Ventures Corp…
US patent for this device…
Abstract: Coronary Sinus Reducer Stent for the Treatment of Chronic Refractory Angina Pectoris J Am Coll Cardiol, 2007; 49:1783-1789
More about Neovasc …; Medical Ventures Corp…