Clear Catheter Systems, from Bend, Oregon, has received FDA clearance for its PleuraFlow active tube clearance system. It is a device that can remove clogged blood from chest tubes in postoperative heart and lung surgery patients. It uses magnets and a wire loop to keep catheters clear without breaking sterility.
The system is inserted between the chest tube and the drainage tubing. Within it is a guidewire that has a loop at its tip to dislodge clots and pull them towards the drainage system. It is advanced and retracted by a magnetic drive that wraps around the outside of the tubing. The device previously received European CE approval last summer.
Press release: Clear Catheter Systems receives US FDA Clearance for the PleuraFlow Active Tube Clearance System… (.pdf)
Product page: PleuraFlow…