Bluegrass Vascular, an aptly named San Antonio, Texas firm, won European approval for the Surfacer Inside-Out access catheter system. The product offers a new way of obtaining central venous access for catheter insertion, particularly in patients with vascular obstructions in the upper body.
The device is inserted into the femoral vein at the groin and pushed up into the right internal jugular. With the help of a fluoroscope, the physician positions the device so that the hole in the tip is easily seen. The blockage within the vein actually helps secure the Surfacer, protecting it from turbulence that passing blood can create. Once in place, a needle with a guidewire is pushed through the hole. The needle then penetrates the vein and is pushed to exit via the neck. From there, a sheath is inserted over the penetrating guidewire. The Surfacer can then be pulled back and a catheter inserted right into the internal jugular.
The Surfacer has already been used in a few procedures in Europe and is being initially made available in Germany, UK, Austria, Italy, and the Benelux countries.
“Multiple central venous occlusions can cause significant long-term morbidity,” explained John Gurley, M.D., Interventional Cardiologist, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Bluegrass Vascular founder and developer of the Inside-Out method. “The novel Inside-Out approach is an innovative and simple method that restores and preserves right-sided venous access despite chronic occlusion and retains the viability of other existing central veins.”
Here’s an animation explaining the Surfacer Inside-Out procedure:
Product page: Surfacer…
Via: Bluegrass Vascular…