Penumbra announced today that its RED reperfusion catheters have secured a CE mark and are now commercially available in Europe. The catheters are part of the company’s Penumbra system, which is a fully integrated mechanical aspiration thrombectomy system designed to restore blood flow in acute ischaemic stroke patients.
“When addressing stroke, our goal is to remove the blood clot as quickly as possible for patients to have the best outcome,” said Saleh Lamin (Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, UK). “With RED catheters, we will be able to get up to the clot quickly and efficiently remove it, most of the time within a single pass. Restoring blood flow promptly is key as it is associated with less damage to the brain and better outcomes.”
The RED family of catheters is engineered with the latest technology in trackability and aspiration to address a wide range of large vessel occlusions via mechanical aspiration thrombectomy, a Penumbra press release notes.
The RED catheters feature the company’s REDglide technology—which enhances the trackability of the catheters as they navigate the challenging vessel anatomy of the brain while also maximising aspiration efficiency to remove blood clots. Additionally, the RED catheters have a full-length polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) liner designed to maintain their true lumen size under powerful vacuum, the release adds.
“Penumbra’s commitment to advancing technology allows us to have one of the most expansive aspiration stroke portfolios on the market, enabling physicians to have the latest innovations with the most options to provide the best care to their patients,” said Joan Kristensen, vice president and head of the Europe, Middle East and Africa region for Penumbra. “With enhanced trackability and powerful aspiration, initial data have shown that Penumbra’s RED catheters can restore blood flow quickly across all clot types, which would potentially have a significant impact on patient outcomes here in Europe.”
