There are more than 12 million patients globally whose blood pressure remains uncontrolled, despite taking three or more anti-hypertensive medications, according to Vessix Vascular (Laguna Hills, CA). Renal denervation has shown promise in treating severe drug-resistant hypertension and, by the company’s estimates, the global market opportunity for renal denervation is approaching $30 billion. The company’s V2 renal denervation system is undergoing testing in a global multi-center clinical trial.
To help the device stand out in what is becoming a crowded playing field of renal denervation players, Vessix enlisted the help of Stuart Karten Design (Los Angeles). The design firm sought to optimize the device to make the renal denervation procedure as simple for physicians as possible, eliminating complexity and clutter. The design also emphasizes the product’s aesthetics, drawing inspiration from consumer electronics. “We also wanted to celebrate the revolutionary technology with a design that flouted expectations of a boxy, plastic device,” says Anne Ramallo, manager of PR and marketing at Stuart Karten.
The design also plays up the product’s speed: the device can denervate both renal arteries in a total of about 60 seconds. “I wanted a design that immediately communicates that there’s something new and exciting going on — even before I explain how the product works,” explained Vessix CEO Raymond Cohen. “The goal was to have the product look faster, sexier, and more advanced than any other piece of equipment found in the hospital.”
To pull all of these themes together, Karten Design principal Stuart Karten saw the need to simplify the complexity in the product’s overall design. “By expressing Vessix’s technology in an elegant, easy-to-use product, we’re making it relatable and giving it an identity that people can connect with. This is just as important with medical devices as it is with consumer technology, if not more so because the stakes are so high.”
The design team worked with physicians in cath labs in the early phases of product development, interviewing them to tailor the end product to their needs.
The resulting device features a flexible configuration that enables the V2 Generator to be moved from room to room. The generator head mounts on a wheeled cart, while locking wheels prevent the unit from moving
during treatment.
The graphic user interface was inspired in part by the iPad display. It is designed to be easy to use, reinforcing the simplicity and the speed of the renal-denervation procedure. The display confirms when catheter electrodes are in the correct position, prompting the user to deliver therapy.
Product page: Vessix V2 renal denervation system…
Flashbacks: Vessix Vascular’s V2 System for Medication Resistant Hypertension; Exclusive: Interview with Medical Design Innovator Stuart Karten
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