Cardiologists have a number of tools at their disposal when diagnosing and treating patients with coronary artery disease. We’ve previously covered devices which can measure fractional flow reserve (FFR) to identify which artery blockages are causing reduced perfusion of myocardial tissue, and devices which use optical coherence tomography (OCT) for imaging blood vessels.
Now, St. Jude Medical has announced FDA clearance of its new ILUMIEN PCI Optimization System, the first system to combine FFR and OCT into a single platform. St. Jude claims that by combining FFR and OCT, the ILUMIEN system will help optimize the use of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) when treating patients suffering from ischemia.
From the press release:
The ILUMIEN system features the St. Jude Medical PressureWire™ Aeris, a wireless interventional tool that measures FFR to evaluate the severity of blood flow blockages in the coronary arteries, and the St. Jude Medical C7-XR™ OCT diagnostic imaging technology with Extreme Resolution™, a first-to-market intravascular imaging technology that allows physicians to visualize and measure important vessel characteristics otherwise not visible or difficult to assess with older intracoronary imaging technologies.
The St. Jude Medical ILUMIEN system features the Wi-Box™, a wireless device that enables the ILUMIEN system to receive aortic pressure readings wirelessly. The Wi-Box provides physicians and staff a completely cable-free FFR solution, combining the ease of use of a built-in system with the cost efficiency of a mobile platform.
Press release: St. Jude Medical Announces FDA Clearance of First and Only Combined FFR and OCT System
Product page: ILUMIEN PCI Optimization System
Flashback: St. Jude Medical Receives European CE Mark Approval for its ILUMIEN System