Abbott has received the CE Mark and is now launching the TREK and the smaller TREK-MINI coronary balloon dilation catheters in Europe. The company is touting the ground-up redesign of the catheters, emphasizing the continuous smoothness of their surface that should help in getting the balloon to target.
From the announcement:
"The TREK system has a more seamless, transitionless design that allows for successful navigation to hard-to-access lesions, which is an important factor in treating patients with complex anatomy. In contrast, the designs of many balloon catheter systems include more abrupt junction points that can create resistance while trying to access complex lesions," said Julinda Mehilli, M.D., director of Clinical Research and Data Coordinating, Intracoronary Stenting and Antithrombosis Research (ISAR) Center, German Heart Center in Munich. "With the TREK system, blockages may be crossed smoothly and reliably even in vessels that are tight and challenging; lesions which were previously thought to be some of the most challenging may now be reached."
The TREK family is a completely re-engineered line of balloon catheters, incorporating many advanced design and technology changes. The TREK system is available in two catheter designs, including the specialty catheter MINI-TREK™ for accessing smaller vessels.
TREK is available in 77 sizes and in a wide variety of diameters (from 1.2 mm to 5 mm) and lengths (from 6 mm to 30 mm). It currently is available on a rapid exchange delivery system, and Abbott plans to launch a high-pressure version called NC TREK™ later this year. The TREK dilatation catheter is the delivery platform for Abbott’s future generations of stent technology.
Press release: Abbott Announces European Launch of TREK™ Catheter System, Representing an Advancement in Balloon Technology…